Flesh & Blood
by BensonFan711
Summary: Fourteen years after Skin Deep, Joseph Colin is released from prison. Will he follow through with his vow to avenge his brother's death? Only time will tell! Please note: This is a SEQUEL. Please read SKIN DEEP first.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a sequel to Skin Deep, written by BensonFan711 and Bellatrix wannabe89. If you have not read Skin Deep, please start there, otherwise, I'm afraid the story may not make too much sense.**_

_**Warning: This story will also contain issues of racism. If you are offended by this, then by all means, CLICK THE BACK BUTTON.**_

_**Rating: M**_

**Flesh & Blood**

**Chapter 1**

_**Fourteen years after Skin Deep…**_

"Hey, Mom," 17-year-old Tina called to Olivia as she rushed through the front door of their apartment, pausing long enough to kiss Olivia on the cheek. Olivia was in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for dinner. Tina, not missing a beat, reached out a snagged a piece of zucchini and popped it in her mouth.

"Hey! That's for dinner!" Olivia chastised. Tina shrugged and made a beeline for her bedroom off the main living area, still chattering as she went.

"Can't stay long," she said as her backpack landed on the floor of her room with a thud. "Eli's taking me out to dinner at this new restaurant in the Village that..."

"Freeze!" Olivia called, immediately putting a stop to Tina's quick chatter. Tina appeared in the doorway of her bedroom with a quizzical look on her face.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you forget what tonight is?" Olivia asked as she dumped the vegetables in the marinade. She had expected this from Tina. Although Tina had a kind and gentle heart, like most teenagers, she could also be a little self-absorbed.

"No..." Tina said, but from the way her eyes darted around the room, and the guilty look on her face, Olivia knew better.

"Your brother is coming over tonight with your new niece," Olivia reminded her.

"Wait, that's tonight?" Tina replied.

"Yes. So go in there, call Eli, and tell him you're busy tonight," Olivia said, pointing towards Tina's room with the chef's knife in her hand.

"But Mom..." Tina protested.

"No 'buts,'" Olivia warned as she began unwrapping the chicken breasts she had defrosted earlier.

"Well, can he come over here then?" she asked. She had started officially dating Eli Stabler almost three months ago at the beginning summer break. She had gotten a job as a lifeguard at a community swimming pool, and he had worked the concession stand. Though they had been friends since birth, their friendship blossomed into something more that magical summer. And, since he was a friend of the family, her parents rarely objected to the two of them spending time together.

"No, this is a family event. Besides, we don't want to overwhelm the poor girl. Now, go call Eli. You can see him tomorrow," Olivia said firmly.

"But..." Tina started to protest.

"Or, you can spend the weekend volunteering at the Child Advocacy Center with me. Your choice," Olivia warned. Tina hated the Child Advocacy Center. Olivia was a detective, so her hours consisted of interviewing children and arranging for legal counsel. Tina got stuck with the tasks for "unskilled" volunteers, which typically involved scrubbing something she'd rather not be anywhere near.

"Ok, ok...I'll call him," she huffed, turning back towards her room. Olivia glanced at the photograph of a 5-year-old red-headed child already hanging on her refrigerator. It had taken nearly four years, thousands of dollars in attorney fees, and more patience than the family knew they had, but Ken Randall and his husband, Noah Crenshaw, had managed to adopt a child of their own.

Juniper Astrid Crendall had become Olivia's granddaughter nearly two weeks ago, and Ken was planning to bring her over for dinner. Olivia was looking forward to welcoming the newest member of her family, although she had hoped Tina would be a little more cooperative about then whole affair.

"And clean up your room!" she yelled, hearing Tina swear as she tripped over some unknown object. Olivia began cutting up the chicken, throwing most of it in the marinade with the vegetables, the few remaining pieces she sprinkled with a little bit of seasoning and set them aside in case Juniper didn't like the marinade.

The front door opened again, and Fin walked in with several bags in his hand, shutting it behind her. "Hey, Beautiful," her husband of nineteen years greeted as he walked over to her. He reached in the bowl and plopped a piece of zucchini in his mouth.

"You're setting a bad example for Tina," Olivia chastised as she continued to cut up the chicken. "And besides that is for our granddaughter's first dinner here." Fin shrugged as he took another piece of the vegetable and he ate it again.

"Not my fault you're such a good cook." He leaned over and nuzzled her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist, still finding her just as beautiful and attractive as the day he married her. Olivia paused to lean back in his embrace for a moment, a smile growing on her lips.

"We have to get ready."

"Mmm hmm," he muttered, his lips finding that one spot behind her ear that turned her into mush.

"They're going to be here soon, and we haven't even wrapped her gift," Olivia argued with a slight moan as he continued to nuzzle her but made no other move to discourage him.

"Mmm hmm," Fin muttered again as his hands slid down and grabbed her ass. Olivia leaned back in his embrace, closing her eyes and enjoying his playfulness just as much as he was.

"So, if you two could stop playing grab ass for a minute, I need to grab my bag without, you know, vomiting," Tina's voice interrupted from her bedroom door where she had her hands over her eyes to avoid the scene before her. Fin chuckled, giving Olivia a final kiss and a quick swat on the ass as he pulled away from Olivia.

"Language," Olivia chastised as her daughter uncovered her eyes and walked out to get the bag.

"And stop leaving your bag in the middle of living room," Fin warned as he took out the red headed Barbie, a pink remote controlled Barbie convertible, and a large array of Barbie clothes, everything from swim suits to princess outfits out of the shopping bags. "Someone's gonna trip, fall, and bust their ass you keep doing that."

"Language," Olivia repeated. One of these days, she was actually going to succeed in getting through to both of them.

"Sorry," Tina told them, all three knowing that Monday afternoon, they would be having the same argument they had every school day.

"Mom, can you wash my practice suit before tomorrow?" Tina had been on the swim team since seventh grade, and was now co-captain of the varsity team. She hoped that she was good enough to land a scholarship for college, but even if she didn't, she still loved her sport. The only problem was that Tina wasn't exactly diligent about making sure her wet suit wound up in the laundry instead of her gym bag.

"Even though I told you yesterday to put it in the hamper so I could wash it when we wouldn't be extremely busy?" Tina's eyes darted around the room again.

"... Kind of."

Olivia let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll see if I have the time," she told Tina with another sigh as she began pouring some vegetable oil in the pan. Tina rolled her eyes as she walked back into her room.

"Thanks," she told them dryly before she shut the door. Fin grabbed out wrapping paper and tape from the bags, a slight smirk on his face.

"You washed it yesterday?" he asked.

"Folded and put away in her top drawer." Fin went over to her and kissed her gently.

"I love it when you lie to our daughter to prove a point." Olivia grinned back as she looked over her shoulder as she began to dump the mixture of chicken and vegetables into the pan. He chuckled as he turned back to the gifts and began to wrap them. Twenty minutes later with the three gifts wrapped and the kitchen smelling delightfully with dinner as Olivia worked on the salad, there was a knock on the door.

Olivia and Fin's heart jumped into their throat as they glanced towards the door. Olivia took a deep breath and turned towards Fin, a beaming smile on her face.

"You ready, Grandpa?" Fin nodded, wrapping his arm around her.

"Ready as you are, Nana." Olivia chuckled and they made their way towards the door. With another deep breath they opened the door, smiling at the small family at the door.

Ken and Noah were holding hands while Juniper, or June as they called her, sat in Ken's arm, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Hi, you guys!" Olivia greeted joyfully hugging Ken and Noah. "How was Florida?"

"It was amazing," said Noah with a smile as he hugged Olivia back followed by shaking Fin's hand who followed suit with Ken, Olivia frowning slightly when her husband and stepson acted more like close colleagues then father and son.

While Ken had eventually learned the truth about his siblings being 'miscarriages', he had never fully stopped blaming Fin for allowing his family to be abducted and tortured. Olivia looked down at the little girl still hiding in Ken's shoulder and smiled. "Hi, June," said Olivia sweetly.

"How you doing, June Bug?" Fin asked with a soft smile. June offered no response and instead nuzzled in closer to Ken who merely chuckled and readjusted her slightly.

"She's a little shy," he explained before he turned towards her. "Hey," Ken said softly giving her a tiny nudge. "You wanna say hi to Nana and Grandpa?"

June stayed quiet for a long moment before she muttered a soft spoken, "hi," barely audible to Olivia before she buried her head in Ken's shirt again.

Their hearts were won over instantly.

Noah brushed a stray red curl from her face before Olivia moved out of the doorway for them. "You guys want to come in?" asked Olivia. Without a word the tiny family walked in the apartment, Olivia shutting the door and triple checking the locks.

"Tina," Olivia called out as Fin took the coats from Noah and Fin. "Get out here, there's someone you need to meet." Tina shuffled out of her bedroom and smiled at her brother and brother in law.

"Hey, you guys!" she greeted happily, pushing several microbraids from her face. Her eyes landed on the little girl in Ken's arms and her eyes lit up. "Oh my God is this her? She's so cute! I want one!"

"Nope," said Fin as he hung the coats up. Tina rolled her eyes but her smile never left her face as she walked up to the group.

"Her name's Juniper?" Tina asked.

"We call her June," Noah told Tina before turning to his daughter. "June, this is your Aunt Tina. She's Daddy Ken's sister. Can you say hi?"

June muttered another soft spoken 'hi' and Tina squeed like it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen in her life.

"She's, like, BEYOND adorable!" Tina turned towards Olivia, a beaming grin on her face. "Why didn't I ever get any younger brothers or sisters? They're so cute!" The entire atmosphere of the room changed. Olivia's face fell and, as hard as she tried to hide it from Tina, who didn't know a single detail about her siblings, the Colins, or Victoria Black, the sorrow was evident to everyone in the room.

Ken and Noah glanced at one another briefly and Fin's hands clutched into a fist so tight his nails left marks, reminding himself that Tina never knew she almost had not one, but three siblings, and Olivia lost the ability to get pregnant again when Tina was three.

"What?" Tina asked looking around the room, her brow narrowed in confusion. "What'd I say?" Olivia cleared her throat and forced a smile back on her face so she didn't ruin the happy moment.

"It's nothing," she said with a forced chuckle that was fooling no one. She clapped her hands together and grinned at the younger couple. "So, anyway, back on track. We have some presents I think a cute little red headed girl might like..."

June's head picked up slightly, turning towards Olivia, her green eyes narrowed in confusion. "Presents?"

"Yup," Fin confirmed. "All for a special little June Bug like you."

June smiled at the nickname, lighting all five adults faces up before she turned to Ken, "Daddy Ken, can I open the presents?"

"You certainly can, Sweetie," Ken told her kissing the top of her head and setting her down on the floor. Within minutes, June had the wrapping paper off her gifts, and with a little help from Tina, was zooming the car around the apartment.

"Dinner smells great, Liv," Ken said.

"Thanks, it'll be ready in about ten minutes." She turned her attention to the two girls in the living room. "Tina? Check your sugar."

"June, that goes for you too," Ken said, pulling out a glucose kit from his messenger bag. That was actually how June wound up in the foster system. Her mother had been ill equipped to care for a juvenile diabetic, and so she had abandoned June in a supermarket with a note. Ken and Noah had been approved largely because Ken had experience caring for a diabetic child when Tina was younger.

"No!" June screamed, hiding behind Tina. "I don't want to!" Tina looked from June to Ken to Olivia.

"June, c'mon. You know we have to," Ken said.

"Wait, she's diabetic?" Tina asked. "How come nobody told me?"

"We did," Olivia said. "But with your selective hearing, you might have missed it."

"June, tell ya what. Let me go get my stuff, and we can do it together, ok?" Tina said.

"You have di'betes too?" June asked quizzically. Tina nodded.

"Mhm. For as long as I can remember," she said. She disappeared into her room and came back with a small black case. June watched as Tina dropped the case on the dining room table and headed to the kitchen.

"Scuse me," she said, working her way through the narrow space Olivia was trying to occupy to finish dinner. She went to the drawer underneath the silverware on the bottom that had always been "Tina's space," where Olivia kept a selection of sugar free snacks no one else was allowed to touch. She opened the door, found what she was looking for, and headed back to the table.

"Hey June, come here. If you let me help you check your sugar, you can have some gummi bears," she said, waving the bag. June crossed her arms and pouted.

"I can't have gummi bears 'cause they have too much sugar," June protested.

"Remind you of anyone?" Olivia whispered to Fin. He chuckled at the inside joke.

"You can have some of mine. They're special, just for diabetics like us," Tina said, raising her eyebrow. June cautiously walked towards Tina, taking a seat in the chair next to her. Tina unzipped both kits and laid out the supplies.

"Did you know Grandpa once went to work in a big pink princess dress?" she said as she set up the lancing devices.

"Why?" June asked. "That's silly!"

"I know it is, but someone dared him to, so he did," Tina said, as she cleaned both one of her fingers and one of June's. "He wore matching high heels, too, and some of Nana's lipstick," Tina said. She pricked her own finger first, not even flinching after years of getting used to it. She used the test strip and waited for her meter to give a reading while she stopped the bleeding with a cotton ball.

"Grandpa, did you really do that?" she asked as Tina gently pricked the side of her finger, in a spot experience taught her would hurt the least.

"I did," Fin said, going along with the ruse. Apparently, his story about Munch fourteen years ago left a lasting impression with his daughter.

"Why?" June asked as Tina applied a test strip to her finger. She set the meter aside, and used a cotton ball to stop the bleeding on June's finger.

"I lost a bet. Trust me, it's not something I like to talk about," he said.

"All done," Tina said. "128 for June." June stared at her finger curiously. She hadn't even felt it. "And a promise is a promise. Here you go, June," she said, handing her five of her treasured gummi bears. Ken made note of the reading and leaned in next to Tina.

"Gummi bears, hm?" he said. Tina shrugged.

"It's how Dad used to get me to check mine," she said.

"And where exactly would we find sugar free gummi bears?" he asked. Tina laughed.

"Ask at the drug store. They have all kinds of good stuff," she said. She turned to her own meter to see what her sugar had been.

"Uh, Mom?" she said.

"Yeah, Honey?" Liv replied distracted by dishing up dinner. Tina stood up and went to where June couldn't hear her.

"196," Tina whispered. Olivia's head snapped up. That was high…high enough for her to be concerned.

_**There ya go, folks. A little teaser to get us going. What awaits the Tutuolas after fourteen years?**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Ok, well, test it again to make sure that's real," she said, assuming that Tina had been too distracted to get an accurate reading. Tina quickly did a retest, flying through the motions again.

"Well?" Olivia asked, as soon as she heard the beep of the meter.

"194," Tina said. Panic crossed her face. She had had a few stints in the hospital because her sugar spun out of control, and with Homecoming in a few weeks, she didn't want to miss out on the fun.

"Ok, Fin, finish this for me," Olivia said. "C'mon, Honey," she said, escorting Tina into her own bedroom. Tina sat on Olivia's king sized bed.

"Mom," she said, slightly panicked.

"It's ok, Baby, we've been down this road before. How long has your sugar been high?" Olivia asked.

"It's been going up for the last week," Tina confessed.

"Have you missed any doses or eaten anything you weren't supposed to?" Olivia asked.

"No, I swear!" she said.

"Tina, relax. I'm not accusing you of anything. We've been down this road before. We probably just need to have your insulin adjusted. Now, let's up your dose tonight, and I'll call the doctor in the morning," Olivia said calmly.

"But Mom, what if…" Tina started.

"It's ok, Tina," Olivia told her. "You know how to manage this. Stick to the chicken and veggies tonight and skip the potatoes. That should help, and I'm sorry, Sweetie, no cake."

"But I've barely eaten any carbs all day so I could have some!" she whined. Olivia put her arms around her daughter as she cried.

"I know, Baby, but you can't risk it with your sugar that high," Olivia told her, echoing what Tina already knew. It wasn't that Tina had to avoid sugar completely; she just had to plan for it. Adding in the fact that Olivia had become a whiz at substituting artificial sweetener for real sugar, and Tina never had to miss out on birthday cakes, but they were still high in carbohydrates, which would raise her sugar, and Olivia had spent the better part of the day baking a low sugar vanilla cake with bright pink icing to welcome June. It also happened to be the very cake Tina asked for every year on her birthday.

"This sucks! I hate being diabetic," she whined.

"I know, Baby, I know," Olivia said as she rocked Tina. "Tell you what, I'll make sure we put a slice aside for you, and as soon as you can manage it, you can have it, ok?" Tina sniffled and nodded against Olivia, but Liv hated to see her daughter miss out on _anything_ because of her strict diet.

"Hey, everything ok in here?" Fin asked, pushing the door open slightly, seeing his wife holding his crying daughter.

"We're fine. Tina's sugar is high, and she's a little frustrated," Olivia explained. Tina usually took her condition in stride, but every so often, she wanted desperately to be able to eat what she wanted, when she wanted, like everyone else. Over the years, Olivia had gotten used to it because she knew just how close she had come to losing Tina. If the worst thing in Tina's life was that she missed out on sweets, Olivia would count her lucky stars.

"I'm ok, Dad," she said, slipping out of Olivia's embrace and heading for the bathroom off her parents' room so that she could splash cold water on her face.

"How high?" Fin asked Olivia.

"About 195. I told her she had to skip the cake tonight, and she lost it," Olivia explained.

"She's been having a lot of trouble lately, not to mention her attitude around here has sucked," Fin observed.

"Well, school just started again, and any time she changes her routine, we usually wind up running to the doctor," Olivia said. Tina came out of the bathroom, looking mostly put back together again. She pushed past Fin and Olivia and headed out into the living room.

"I guess the tantrum's over," Olivia said, following Tina's lead. Tina didn't say much during dinner, but instead looked longingly at the heap of mashed potatoes on Olivia's plate. She stuck to the chicken and vegetables only, but mashed potatoes were one of the few foods that she couldn't get enough of. She tried to get into the conversation, but she just didn't feel like it. Under normal circumstances, she would have asked for permission to eat in her room, but Fin and Olivia absolutely refused to let her do that when there were guests.

"Hey, Sourpuss, what's with you?" Ken asked, throwing a roll at her.

"Stop!" Tina yelled, heaving the roll back at him.

"Hey, hey, you two. Enough!" Olivia jumped in. "Ken, you throw that roll again, and you're dead." An awkward silence fell over the table. "So, June, I hear you're in kindergarten, is that right?" Olivia asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Uh huh," June said quietly, nodding.

"What's your favorite part about school?" Olivia asked.

"Coloring," she whispered again. Tina pushed the remains of her dinner around on her plate, scowling.

"Mom, can I be excused?" she asked. Olivia was about to say no, but when she looked at Tina's eyes, she noticed her daughter was practically begging to be allowed to hide in her room and sulk instead of ruining everyone's evening. And, if she couldn't eat the cake, she really didn't want to see it.

"You may. Scrape your plate and put it in the dishwasher," Olivia replied. Tina was polite enough as she cleared her place, retreated into her room, and closed the door behind her.

"What's with her? She was fine when we got here," Ken asked.

"She has to miss out on the C-A-K-E, and you know how well that goes over with Tina," Olivia informed him. "Just leave her alone. If you try to talk to her at this point, she's liable to bite your head off."

"Is Auntie Tina ok?" June asked quietly. It was obvious that June had taken an immediate shine to Tina. Olivia smiled.

"She's just fine, June. Don't you worry about her," Olivia said, as she stood up and started to clear the table.

From inside her bedroom, Tina heard the laughter from the dining room, and as much as she wanted to shrug off her bad mood, she just couldn't. Instead, she picked up her copy of _A Tale of Two Cities_ from her bedside table, turned on her radio, and tried to get lost in the love story wrapped around the French revolution. This was her third or fourth time reading the book, but it was her absolute favorite. She was easily swept away from present day Manhattan and transported back to late 18th century France for about an hour when she was jolted from her fantasy world by a soft rap on her bedroom window. She turned towards the window at the head of her head and smiled at the blue-eyed dirty-blonde teenage boy outside on the fire escape. She threw open the window and let him climb in.

"Eli!" she exclaimed in a whisper as loud as she dared. As soon as he was inside, he climbed off the bed and threw his arms around her.

"I had to see you. Your parents home?" he asked.

"Yeah, but there's that big family thing is still going on, so I think we're safe," she said. He picked up the book she had tossed back on the nightstand and studied the cover.

"_Tale of Two Cities_? Please tell me you're reading this for school," he said. Tina smiled and grabbed the paperback from his hand.

"Nope. This one is for me," she answered.

"How can you _read _that stuff?" he asked. Tina shrugged.

"I like books that make me think, and this one does," she said.

"I had to read that for school, and all it did was put me to sleep. Dickens just drags on and on and on!" he said, exacerbated.

"Well, that's what happens when a guy gets paid by the word. But still, the story's really good. Maybe you should try reading something other than what your English teacher makes you read," she quipped back.

"Hey! Remember that the next time you call me up and beg for help with your trig homework," he said.

"Oh c'mon, you know I hate math. I just wish you would read something that didn't come from the corner newsstand," she said.

"Well, maybe you should pick something for me to read," he said. She studied him for a minute as they sat next to each other on the bed. Judging everything she knew about him – his likes and dislikes, personality quirks, interests. Her eyes narrowed as she thought.

"I know," she said, scrambling over to the bookshelf. She scanned the row of books and pulled another battered paperback off the shelf. "Try this one," she said, handing him the book.

"_Lord of the Flies_?" he asked.

"You'll like it. It's about a bunch of kids who wind up stranded on an island and have to figure out how to live together. They based some reality TV show on it a long time ago," she told him.

"Sounds like of…girly," he said doubtfully.

"Trust me, it's not. There's plenty of blood and guts for you," she said. She climbed back onto her bed, sitting next to him, and he took her hand in his.

"So how did you manage to get your mom to let you hide in here instead of playing nice with the new kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's not talk about that. My night just got better because you're here," she answered. He was absolutely crazy about the girl in front of him. His parents insisted that it was "puppy love," but he couldn't imagine loving anyone more than he loved Tina. He stroked her cheek softly.

"Let's see if we can make it a little better," he said, leaning in to kiss her. She loved kissing him. His lips were so soft, and she had heard stories from her friends about boys who practically tried to swallow their faces. But Eli wasn't like that. He was soft and slow, and when he opened his mouth, his tongue gently danced with hers. He didn't try to shove it down her throat or make her uncomfortable in any way. A small moan slipped past her lips as he tightened his embrace. His hand found the hem of her shirt, and caressed her before sliding under. Tina knew where he was going, and while she didn't mind his hand up her shirt, she was a little uncomfortable with her parents in the next room. She pushed his roaming hand down, and he got the message, settling on top of her shirt again.

"I love you so much," he whispered when they stopped to come up for air.

"I love…" Tina began, only to be interrupted by a soft rap at her door. "Shit!" she exclaimed. Eli flew of the bed, bolting under it out of sight, while Tina grabbed the book on her bedside table and opened it to a random page.

"Tina?" Liv said, opening the door. "Hey, do you want any of the leftovers from tonight? If not, I'm going to send them home with Ken and Noah."

"Nope. I'm good," Tina said, trying her damndest not to blush. Olivia paused for a moment.

"Eli, are you hungry? I know your mom's working the late shift, and your dad isn't the best cook," she asked. Tina's eyes went wide with horror. She opened her mouth to object, when she heard.

"I'm good, Mrs. Tutuola. Thank you," from under her bed. Olivia nodded and pointed to the door. "Door, open," she said in the no-nonsense Mom-voice she had perfected over the years. Tina was still puzzled by how her mother figured out Eli was there, when she saw Liv point to the book in her hands and raise an eyebrow. Tina glanced down at the book in her hands, and realized that every single word was upside down.

"Was he in there?" Fin asked, working on the dishes while Olivia packed up several doggie bags for Ken, Noah, and June.

"Yep," she answered.

"Do I need to clean my gun?" he asked, in his own way of wanting to know if Eli's hands were anywhere on his daughter they shouldn't have been.

"Nah, I think we're good," Olivia answered.

XxXxX

"Colin!" the guard yelled through the bars. "You got a visitor. Let's go." The guard shackled Joseph Colin and led him to the visitors area where a bald man he had never seen before sat on the other side of the glass. He picked up the handset and waited for the other man to do the same thing.

"Who the hell are you?" Colin asked.

"Let's just say I'm a friend of a friend for now," the mystery man answered. "I used to be where you are, and a buddy of mine told me you're up for a parole hearing soon. How are you doing with your case preparation?"

"Not much for me to do. My suit's doing most of the work. Why?" Colin asked.

"Listen, Legal Aid isn't going to get you very far. I'd like to help you," he said.

"I got a lawyer. I don't need another one," Colin answered.

"I'm not a lawyer. I'm just someone who happens to know quite a bit about the prison system and how to work it," he said. "I've been going over your file, and I think I can help you put together something that just might convince the parole board to let you out of here."

"Why the hell do you even care?" Colin asked.

"Because, Mr. Colin," he said, leaning in. "The bitch you raped put me behind bars for eight years over a stupid green scarf."

_**Any guesses on who the mystery man is seeing Colin? Here's a hint…he's a canon character. Yep, that's all you get for now!**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So what?" Colin spat back. "She put you in jail for eight years. That still doesn't explain why on earth I would want to have anything to do with a dumb Spic like you."

"I figured you would feel that way, but, quite frankly, I don't care what you think of me. You hate her because she married a black man, and I hate her because she forced me into a confession that sent me away for eight years," the mystery man explained. "You need to convince the parole board that you're a rehabilitated man, and I can help you do that." Joseph leaned back. Whoever this guy was made a decent case, but that didn't change the fact that Joseph wanted nothing to do with anyone who wasn't white. Instead of saying anything more, he slammed the receiver on the hook and asked the guard to take him back to his cell.

That didn't stop his mysterious visitor, though. Omar Peña may not have had the guts to go after her himself, but if he could help get the one man who swore to kill her to get out of prison, he was willing to do whatever he had to.

XxXxX

"Good night Mr. and Mrs. Tutuola," Eli said politely. Noah and Ken had already left with an exhausted June, and it was getting close to Eli's curfew.

"Good night, Eli," Olivia answered. "Next time, try the door instead of the window." Eli gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Tell your folks we said 'hi,'" Fin told him. Eli nodded and turned his attention back to Tina.

"See you tomorrow," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. It was enough affection to make her feel special, but not enough to make anyone uncomfortable, especially her father.

"Ok, Tina, bed," Olivia said as soon as Eli had left.

"But, Mom, it's Friday!" Tina protested.

"Yes, and it's already after 11:00. Go on, scoot," Olivia said, pointing towards Tina's bedroom.

"Fine," Tina said, rolling her eyes. Instead of going directly to her bedroom, though, she grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filled it with water, and drank the entire thing in one gulp. Olivia had seen this sort of behavior from her in the past, and she was starting to think Tina needed an endocrinologist sooner rather than later. Fortunately, Tina's doctor had Saturday hours, so it could be handled in the morning Olivia and Fin cleaned up the kitchen while Tina brushed her teeth and got herself ready for bed. She reappeared from her room to say good night and kiss both of them on the cheek before heading off to bed. Olivia saw a small light from under her door and figured Tina was in bed reading.

"So, we're grandparents…" Fin mused as he and Olivia were getting ready for bed. "I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't feel old enough to be a grandfather." Olivia laughed as she pulled back the covers on the bed. She placed a body pillow lengthwise in the center of the bed between where she and Fin would sleep. Right after Fin had moved back in fourteen years ago, Cindy had made that her spot, and once Cindy was gone, Olivia discovered that Fin had a tendency to wrap his arms around her in his sleep. She couldn't blame him for it, since he was unaware of what he was doing, but every time, she would wake up in a blind panic, convinced that Joseph was behind her, ready to rape her again. They had finally come up with the solution of placing the pillow between them. Now, Fin would wake up nearly every morning with the pillow in his arms, but at least he wasn't terrorizing his wife every night anymore.

"Some days I do, but definitely not all the time. I'm just glad that, if we have to be grandparents, it's Ken's kid instead of Tina's," she told him. Fin climbed into the bed, but the look on his face said everything that was running through his mind.

"Tina's too young to have a baby," he told her.

"She's seventeen, Fin. She's old enough. Maybe not mature enough, but definitely old enough," Olivia pointed out.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. I don't even want to think about my baby girl having sex," he said.

"Hey!" Olivia exclaimed, giving him a friendly whack with a pillow. "I thought *I* was your 'Baby Girl,' she protested.

"You're not my daughter. I think about having sex with you all the time," he said.

"Oh, you do, do you?" she said coyly. There was something about the way she said it that caused his dick to stir.

"Mhm. In fact, I'm thinking about it right now," he said as he leaned over to kiss her. It was a hot, passionate, open mouthed kiss, but he also knew that was it. He had communicated his desire to have sex with her, and now he would have to wait for her to decide if she was in the mood or not. He couldn't push her because it never took much for her to push him away. He hated the Colins because they had altered his sex life with his wife to this extent, but he loved Olivia enough that he would go along with whatever idiosyncrasies she had as long he could be with her at all.

Olivia moved the body pillow to her other side, which was her way of giving him permission. They had done though this dance so many times, he knew how to read her actions and body language so that she always felt loved and cherished with him, and never afraid. She returned his kiss, swinging one of her legs over him to straddle him. His hands instantly went to her ass, as they always did, and he groaned into her kiss. She could feel him harden as she ran her hands over his short cropped hair and rest on his cheeks. His hands slipped under the cotton camisole she usually wore to sleep in, and he pulled it over her head, exposing her bare chest to him. He rolled them so he was on top and stopped for a moment to drink her in and run his fingers through her hair.

"I love you," he whispered, earning him a smile. "I love you so much." He punctuated his statement with another kiss, seeking the nooks and crannies of her mouth. Her moan in response shot straight through the room and hit his groin hard. He broke the kiss long enough to pull his own tank top off and began his path up her jaw line, zeroing in on the spot behind her ear. She let out a long moan as his lips teased her, spreading her legs so he could settle between them. She arched under him as she felt her juices build.

"Make love to me, Fin," she panted as his hand found her breast. He smiled into his kisses; this was the sign he had been waiting for from her. He broke kiss to stare at her once again while he continued his ministrations on her breast. She was biting her lip to keep from crying out, and every time he made love to her, he swore there was just a touch of pain in her face, but perhaps he was imagining it. He lowered his head to take her nipple into his mouth, causing her to cry out and arch practically off the bed. She knew he was holding back with what he really wanted, and she just loved him more because he was so patient with her. He had made sex feel good again at a time when she thought it never would. She thought she was going to explode when he switched and gave her other breast the same attention. She felt him pull her cotton pants and panties off her lower half, and her breath hitched. He kissed his way down her stomach, pausing to give her belly button a lick.

When he reached her lower half, he stopped to run his fingers over the pattern of scars on her right thigh. She still hated the hideous brand Adam Colin had left there, and to be honest, Fin wasn't sure if anyone besides him – and those who had handled her case – knew it was there, including Tina. He kissed the marred skin there, worshiping it with his lips and tongue. It wasn't the brand itself he loved; it was his way to showing her that he loved _her, _not her appearance. These scars were a testament to what she had been through and survived – no, triumphed.

"Fin, no," she said through her moans. She didn't want him that close to her tonight. Sometimes, she would let him taste her, but other nights, it was just too much for her. This seemed to be one of the latter ones. He gave her one final kiss on her thigh before returning to her lips. He felt her pulling on the waistband of his pajama pants and moved one hand to help her out.

"You ok, Baby?" he asked as he settled at her entrance. Perhaps he was more concerned than she was, but the worst feeling in the world for him was when she had a flashback while he was trying to make love to her. Though they were extremely rare now, occasionally she would find a new trigger, and it would take her to a place he hated to see her in.

"I'm fine," she said with a smile. "I love you," she whispered, shimmying her hips forward to try to urge him.

"I love you, too," he told her as he started to push into her slowly. He took his time, allowing her to adjust to him. His lips found her neck again, and she moaned long and loud. He was gentle with her, slowly rocking with her, listening to her pants and moans to be sure he was hitting that special spot inside her that would cause her to explode. Her soft cries of pleasure were going straight to his groin. He wanted to pick up the pace, to go at her hard and fast, but he knew it would be better for her if he kept it slow and steady. So, he increased his speed just enough that he wasn't in agony, but it was still soft and gentle enough for her.

"Mmmm…Fin…ohhhhh…" she moaned in time to his thrusts.

"C'mon, Liv, let go," he whispered hotly into her ear.

"So close…" she answered.

"Let go, Baby Girl, just let go," he whispered back.

"I can't…" she cried.

"Yes you can. I'm right here. I've got you," he said. That seemed to do it. She cried out his name, clenching around him, arching into him. He still thought the sight of her in the throes of ecstasy was the most erotic thing he had ever seen. He continued his slow thrusting as she rode out the aftershocks of her orgasm. He knew he wouldn't be able to last long after that.

"Liv, I need to…" he started to say.

"Go ahead," she whispered. He picked up the pace, giving himself enough friction to reach his own climax. "Let me feel you deep inside me."

"Liv…" he panted.

"I want it," she said, coaxing him. At one point, they were big on dirty talk at this point, but that was yet one more thing she just wasn't comfortable with anymore. "C'mon, Fin, give it to me," she whispered. He thrust a few more times before letting go with a shout. She pulled him down to kiss him as his thrusts weakened and he softened inside her. He moaned into her mouth, savoring the remnants of his own climax.

"I really do love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Baby," she replied. She let him hold her for a few minutes before retrieving her pajamas and redressing herself. He desperately wanted to hold her, but he knew that was never going to happen. She put the body pillow back between them, reached out and took his hand, stroking his fingers softly. That would have to be enough.

In the next room, Tina tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. Every time she rolled over, she either felt like she had swallowed the Sahara Desert or her bladder was going to explode. She lost count of how many glasses of water she plowed through, and consequently, how many trips to the bathroom she had made. She was actually surprised she hadn't managed to wake up either of her parents. What she didn't realize was that every time she got up, Olivia opened her eyes, listened for anything out of the ordinary, and promptly fell asleep once she was sure Tina was back in bed. Just after 3:00, Tina woke up again, but this time her stomach was churning.

Olivia woke with a start. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, and realized it wasn't her alarm that had woken her. As she listened, she heard a very obvious retching sound from the main bathroom. She flew out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she made her way through the apartment. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, and the apartment was dark except for the light pouring out from the door. She pushed it open and squinted at the sudden change.

"Tina? You ok, Baby?" she asked.

"Mom…" Tina groaned. She was kneeling in front of the toilet, resting her head on the seat in front of her, clinging to it so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Olivia knelt next to her, stroking her face to see if her skin felt hot.

"It's ok, Honey," Olivia said, stroking Tina's hair as she heaved again. She didn't have any signs of a fever, so this definitely wasn't the run of the mill bug. When Tina calmed down again, she laid her head on the toilet seat again, panting slightly. Olivia was close enough to her to pick up on the slightly sweet smell of her breath, which could only mean that Tina's sugar level was still climbing, in spite of her best efforts.

"Water…" Tina croaked.

"Ok, Honey," Olivia said, grabbing a glass of water from the bathroom sink. "I think it's time to get you to a doctor. Stay here. I'm going to call the ambulance and let Dad know what's going on." She stroked Tina's face again as Tina nodded. She could see Tina visibly relax, now that she knew her mother would take care of everything she needed. Olivia slipped back into her bedroom, called 911, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt as quickly as she could. She swept her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed her purse. Then she crept over to the bed where Fin was still sound asleep.

"Fin," she whispered, shaking him slightly. He snorted, rolled away from her, and started snoring again. "Fin!" she called a bit louder.

"Whasgoinon?" he finally said, cracking his eyes open.

"Tina needs to go to the hospital," she told him.

"Ok, ok…I'm getting up," he said groggily, but his movements told a completely different story.

"It's ok. You have to work in the morning. You sleep. I'll call if it gets bad," Olivia told him.

"Thanks, Baby," he said. And with that, he rolled over and immediately fell asleep. Olivia checked on Tina again, who asked for more water. Olivia sat with her as she drank another huge glass in front of her. The first time this had happened, nearly thirteen years ago, Olivia had been in hysterics, terrified that she was going to lose her daughter. But as the years went on, it became somewhat commonplace, and she no longer panicked.

"Hey, Tina," one of the paramedics said as soon as they arrived. Most of the veterans at the nearby station knew Tina by name now.

"Hi, Kate," Tina croaked with a weak smile.

"Ready to go?" Kate asked. Tina started to stand, but held up a finger and sat back down. She threw up again, prompting Kate to ask Olivia, "how long has she been doing this?"

"At least twenty minutes," Olivia told her. Tina's stomach finally settled again.

"Ok, let's go," Tina said. Olivia helped Tina up, and while Tina hated gurneys, she happily laid on the one sitting in her living room, and grabbed Olivia's hand.

"Mom…" she called.

"I'm right here, Baby," Olivia assured her. The right to the hospital was mostly uneventful. There wasn't much the paramedics could do for Tina except get her to the emergency room as quickly as possible.

_**Those of you who guessed Omar Pe**__**ñ**__**a were right! So, what does this mean for Joseph? And has Olivia even realized that Joseph's time is almost up? Only time will tell!**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Fin rapped quietly on the open hospital door in front of him. His daughter lay curled on her side, facing away from him in the bed, while his wife sat no more than two feet away, curled in a chair. A book was laying across her chest, as if she had been reading and dozed off, and in all probability, that had been exactly what happened.

"Mmm…what?" Olivia asked, stirring from her light slumber. "Hi," she said with a smile, once she realized he was in the room.

"I brought you some coffee," he said, extending the tall, steaming cup in front of him and kissing her on the forehead. She gripped the cup with both hands, inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "This is exactly what I needed."

"I can't stay long, but I wanted to stop by and check on her before heading in,"Fin asked. Olivia took a long sip of the precious black liquid, still trying to shake the sleep from her body.

"Her sugar was pretty high. They put her on an insulin drip, and now we're at the monitoring stage. She's supposed to see an endocrinologist later today to talk about her insulin dosage," Olivia said, filling him in.

"So, it's looking like Mom was right again," he said. Olivia chuckled softly.

"Mom's usually right when it comes to Tina," she quipped. The form on the bed stirred, groaning as she tried to roll over, but got tripped up by the IV running into her hand.

"Mom?" Tina asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm right here, Baby," Olivia said, reaching out to take Tina's hand. She gently moved the line so Tina wouldn't pull the IV out.

"Hey, Princess," Fin said, from nearby. "I heard you had a hell of a night." Tina smiled.

"That's an understatement. What happened?" she asked.

"Your sugar spiked. They gave you insulin last night, and right now they're monitoring your progress," Olivia answered gently. Fin checked his watch and realized he was running later than he planned.

"Hey, Baby, I have to get to work. Don't give your mother too much trouble, ok?" Fin said. Tina nodded as he kissed her forehead. "I'll be back later." He kissed Olivia on the cheek, told her he loved her, and headed to the precinct. Tina sighed.

"Do you need anything, Honey?" Olivia asked. Tina looked at Olivia, and a sly smile played across her face.

"Did you bring the cards?" Tina asked. Olivia grinned back, reaching into her purse. She extracted a deck of ordinary playing cards and held them up.

"Don't I always?" she replied.

XxXxX

"Hey, Colin. Heard you had a visitor yesterday. Anyone good?" Nicky Oleander asked Joseph as they lifted weights in the prison yard. Having been cell mates for the past fourteen years, they had developed a tough reputation as prime members of the Aryan Brotherhood.

"Not really. Some dumb Spic offered to help me with my parole hearing. I told him I got a lawyer," Joseph answered. Nicky scoffed.

"You got Legal Aid. They'll let you rot in here before they give a damn," Nicky told him. "This Spic got a name?" Joseph tried to remember, but he honestly hadn't been paying much attention.

"Omar…somethin', I think. Who cares, though?" he said.

"Hold on, Omar _Pe__ñ__a_?" Nicky asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I think that was the guy," Colin said. Nicky let out a low whistle. "I know. Like I would put my fate in the hands of that Spic."

"No, Dude, that's Matlock. He's a fuckin' _legend. _He did eight years here because some bitch cop bullied him into confessin' to somethin' he didn't do. Eight years. He buried himself in every law book he could get his hands on and finally forced the cops to admit they screwed up, but she harassed him somethin' awful. If he's lookin' at your case, you'd better listen to him," Nicky told him. Now he had Joseph's attention. Peña's statement about the cop who arrested him was very much on his mind.

"Was there a green scarf involved in this by any chance?" Joseph asked. Nicky shook his head.

"I don't know the details, but like I said, if Matlock thinks he can get you out, he probably can. Now look, I'm the last person in the world to be tellin' ya to trust a goddamn Spic, but Matlock's a fuckin' genius when it comes to the system. So, you can either suck it up and let him help you, and you can go out there an' start fixin' the world again, or you can rot in here with me," Nicky said. Joseph could see his point. He could very easily use Omar to get what he needed and then dump the guy, but instead he shrugged.

"I blew him off yesterday. I doubt he'll be back," Joseph informed him. Nicky laughed.

"Dude, he'll be back. Mark my words; he'll be back. And when he does show, you better let him do his thing," Nicky said.

XxXxX

"Gin," Olivia announced, laying down the cards in front on her.

"Again?" Tina asked in disbelief. She had won a few games early on, but Olivia seemed to have hit a winning streak.

"Wanna play again?" Olivia asked, reorganizing the cards. Tina sat back in her hospital bed, which had been propped into a sitting position.

"No, I think I've had my fill for today," she answered.

"How about you try eating something?" Olivia asked, lifting the metallic dome over a plate of food. They both looked at it, and Tina wrinkled her nose.

"What _is_ that?" she asked.

"Well, I think this is supposed to be chicken, and this…this could possibly be green beans. Not sure what the mush is, but this is definitely Jell-O," Olivia answered, trying to sound chipper.

"Yeah, I think I'll wait for Dad," Tina answered, pushing the food away.

"Honey, you can't push your meals back too late. You _know _ that," Olivia said again.

"Yeah, but Dad _always_ brings edible food when I'm stuck here," Tina reminded Olivia. Olivia remained doubtful, knowing that Fin would probably show up directly from the precinct.

"Ok, if he's not here in the next half hour, will you eat…whatever this is?" Olivia compromised. Tina checked the clock.

"Deal," Tina answered. The two sat in silence for a minute. "Hey, Mom, I'm really sorry I've been such a bitch lately." Olivia smiled.

"Sweetheart, that was my first clue that something wasn't right with you. You're usually not like that," Olivia replied. Tina smiled again.

"So, have you finished _Tale of Two Cities _yet?" she asked expectantly.

"Not yet," Olivia told her.

"Well, how far are you?" Tina asked.

"The best of times and the worst of times," Olivia answered.

"Mom, that's the first page! Are you going to actually read it, or am I wasting my time with this one?" Tina asked.

"No, no, I'll read it. I promise. I just, haven't had a lot of time lately," Olivia answered. Ever since Tina had fallen in love with the book two years ago, after reading it for English class, she had been absolutely insistent that Olivia would love it if she could just get into it. So far, all it had managed to do what provide Olivia with an amazing cure for insomnia.

"Am I interrupting something?" Fin asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Dad!" Tina exclaimed. He had a purple duffel back slung over one shoulder and was hiding a hand behind his back. Tina twisted herself in every direction she could to see what he was hiding.

"What?" Fin asked in mock horror. "Oh, could this possibly be what you want?" he asked, holding out a long, skinny paper bag that Tina snatched from his hands. She tore into the wrapping like a toddler on Christmas morning.

"Roast beef?" she asked.

"Yep," answered Fin.

"With provolone?" she asked again.

"Of course," he said.

"You remembered the banana peppers?" she asked again. Fin snapped his fingers.

"I knew I forgot something," he said. Then he smiled. "I'm kidding. Spinach, green peppers, onion, ranch dressing, and banana peppers, exactly what you get every time." Tina got the sandwich open, took a huge bite and sighed contentedly.

"Thanks, Dad," she said with her mouth full. "You should see what Mom was trying to convince me to eat." Fin dropped a can of Diet Coke on her tray next to the sandwich.

"Did I ever tell you you're the greatest Dad in the world?" she said.

"You might have mentioned it on occasion, but it never hurts to say it again," he said, kissing her forehead. "Oh, and I figured you could use this, too," he added presenting Olivia with an identical bag. "No banana peppers. Just turkey, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, and light mayo." Olivia smiled.

"Thanks, Honey," she said.

"So what else did you bring?" she asked, motioning to the bag on Fin's shoulder.

"The usual," he said, handing her the bag. She ripped it open and pawed through it.

"You remembered my toothbrush, right?" she asked. It was no secret that Tina hated pretty much everything to do with the hospital from the gowns to the toiletries to the food.

"Pajamas, your journal, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant…ok, I basically cleared your bathroom sink," he said.

"Did you bring my…?" she began.

"Book? I wasn't sure what you were reading, so I picked up a little something special for you on the way here," he told her. Tina furrowed her brow and kept digging. Fin had hidden his little treat for her at the bottom of the bag. She pulled it out and gasped.

"A Kindle? Dad, I've wanted one of these for AGES!" she said.

"Yeah, well, I figured if you had to be stuck here for a while, it might come in handy. And the guy at the store said that there were a bunch of books that were free. I'm sure you can find something you like in there," he said. As soon as Tina finished eating, she had a nurse help her unclip the IV so she could slip into the bathroom.

"That was really sweet, but I thought we were going to make her wait until Christmas," Olivia told him, once Tina was out of earshot.

"We were, but Liv, she's stuck in the hospital. Now, it's either that or you and I are going to have to move a small library back home," he told her. Olivia chuckled, remembering all of Tina's hospital stays, and how she would constantly ask for books. By the time she was released, she had usually amassed quite the collection.

"I suppose you're right. Now we just have to figure out what we're going to get her for Christmas," Olivia mused, followed by an unexpected yawn.

"You know, I can stay tonight, if you want to go home and sleep," he said. Olivia waved him away.

"You know I can't sleep at home by myself," she said. Ever since Tina had gotten sick, whenever she was in the hospital, Olivia couldn't sleep at home. Some nights it was because she worried about Tina, and other nights, she was left with the dark corners of her mind and the haunting images of Adam and Joseph Colin.

"I know, but I thought I'd offer. You're going to wear yourself out," he said.

"Please, we have this down to a science," Olivia told him. "There are enough nurses here who know me. One of them will find a cot somewhere, and I'll be fine."

"I figured you'd say that, which is why I put some of your stuff in Tina's bag," he said.

"Oh my God, I feel human again!" Tina exclaimed emerging from the bathroom. She had washed up as best as she could, brushed her teeth, and changed into her favorite pair of cotton sleep pants and a T-shirt.

"Hey kiddo, some of that stuff in there is for your mom, too," Fin said.

"I figured. I don't have a green toothbrush," she answered.

"No, from the time you were little, your toothbrush either had to be pink or purple, or you wouldn't brush your teeth at all," Olivia said, taking the duffel bag from Tina and slipping into the now vacant bathroom.

"Let me guess," Tina said. "She's staying?"

"You know how Mom is, Princess. She worries when you're not home," he said. A few minutes later, Olivia emerged, still dressed in her T-shirt and jeans, but her hair had clearly been brush and her breath smelled of mint.

"Well, if you two ladies are all set for the night, I'm going to head home," he told them. He kissed each of his girls before making his way back to their apartment for the night. When he got home, he stopped at the mailbox, pulled out the stack of letters, and started to flip through them as he made his way up to the sixth floor. As the elevator stopped, an envelope addressed to him caught his eye, as did the one behind it, addressed to his wife. These were from the New York Parole Board, which wasn't entirely unusual given their line of work, but he and Olivia rarely got letters on the same day. He let himself into the apartment and pulled the letter out of its envelope.

_Dear Det. Tutuola,_

_This letter is to inform you that a parole hearing has been granted for Inmate Joseph Colin on October 15__th__ at 9:00am at Rikers Island. Our records have listed you as a potential interested party, and therefore, you have the right to make a statement at this hearing. You are under no obligation to do so; however, failure to appear at the hearing will be interpreted as a waiver of your right to be heard._

It was signed by the head warden of Rikers Island. Fin sighed, figuring that the other letter addressed to Olivia contained the same information. He quickly did the math in his head and came to the realization that, ready or not, Joseph Colin would be a free man within the year, one way or another.

And that scared the hell out of him.

_**Well, what did you all think? I love the interaction between Tina and Fin in this chapter. And what about Joseph? Will he take up Omar Pe**__**ñ**__**a's offer to help at his parole hearing?**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Fin dropped the stack of mail on the counter and sighed, still holding the letter from the parole board in his hand. This wasn't the first time Colin had been up for parole; it had happened two previous times. Both times, Olivia had adamantly refused to go to the hearing because she couldn't bear to talk about what happened. The first time had been after five years in prison, and the second, eleven. Fin knew that the closer Colin got to serving his full sentence, the more likely the parole board would be to grant his request. Prisons were overcrowded, and anyone who showed any sign of rehabilitation or remorse was fast tracked towards time served. Colin had been locked away for fourteen years, and that just might be long enough.

He knew he was going to have to talk to Olivia about this. Now, more than ever, it was imperative that she state her case because only she could persuade the parole board to keep him behind bars. She was the one who had been raped repeatedly, branded, and had her child murdered inside her. All he could do was testify to what he saw, heard, and the assaults he had endured. She would tug at the heartstrings of the decision makers, convincing them that he was beyond redemption. He was contemplating how to approach this with her when he was jarred out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He glanced through the peephole and pulled open the door.

"Hey, Eli," he said tiredly.

"Hi, Mr. Tutuola. Tina and I were going to go to a movie; is she ready yet?" he asked politely. Fin furrowed his brow.

"No one's told you," he mused. "Tina was rushed to the hospital last night." Eli's face twisted in alarm.

"Is she ok? What's wrong?" he asked. Fin held up his hands to calm down the young man in front of him.

"She'll be fine. You know she's diabetic, right?" Fin said. Eli nodded. In fact, he had impressed Fin with that very fact on their first date. "Well, her sugar spiked dangerously high, and Olivia rushed her to the emergency room. She'll be there for a couple of days."

"Can I see her?" Eli asked. Fin shook his head.

"Not tonight. Visiting hours ended at 7:00, but you can visit her anytime between noon and 7:00 tomorrow," Fin informed him. Eli nodded, and turned to leave. He stopped and turned back to Fin, just as he was closing the door.

"Does she need anything?" he asked.

"Well, she has a particular dislike of hospital food," Fin told him. Eli grinned.

"Thanks, Mr. Tutuola. Hey, if you talk to her, don't tell her I'm coming. I want to surprise her," he said. Fin nodded with a smile. Eli really was a good kid. He almost felt guilty for the way he treated him when Eli took Tina out on her first date.

_**Four Months Ago…**_

"_Mom! Help me! I have absolutely nothing to wear!" Tina exclaimed from her bedroom._

"_Tina, Honey, you have an entire closet full of clothes," Olivia said, abandoning the novel she was engrossed in while lounging on the sofa. Fin hadn't felt this nervous since he married Olivia, and it wasn't even his date. He didn't like the idea of his daughter dating. In fact, he didn't like that his daughter had developed a figure that looked very much like a woman and less like a child. As far as he was concerned, every male in the five boroughs over the age of twelve had a hard on pointed directly at his daughter, and it was his duty to make sure that she stayed as innocent as she could for as long as she could._

_He had been prepared for this from practically the day Tina was born. He knew exactly what he would do on her first date. So, as his wife disappeared into her daughter's room to help her with the latest wardrobe crisis, he went into his bedroom and retrieved his service weapon and cleaning kit. Methodically, he dismantled the weapon, laying out all of the pieces on the coffee table and began meticulously cleaning each one. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Eli Stabler stood behind it, nervously toying with a box of chocolates in his hands. Fin frowned. If this kid had chocolates, clearly he hadn't taken the time to get to know Tina well enough to know she couldn't have sugar._

"_Good evening, Mr. Tutuola. Um, I'm here to pick up Tina. Is she…ready yet?" the poor boy stammered. Fin stood back and gestured him inside._

"_She's still getting ready. Come on in and have a seat," Fin said, showing him into the living room. Fin took up his previous task of cleaning his weapon, smirking at the obvious distress on Eli's face. "I ever tell you about the time I was in Iraq in the service?" Fin asked. _

"_No, sir," Eli said quickly._

"_Did two tours over there. Special ops. I don't think there's a weapon out there that I couldn't at least figure out how to handle," Fin mused. Eli gulped. "Once day, a buddy and I were out, minding our own business, and we came across this guy beating on a woman. Must have been a conservative Muslim type, maybe his wife, I don't know, but she was wrapped in the black robes, you know."  
_

"_Yeah," Eli practically whispered._

"_Well, I dragged the guy off her, and the poor girl…she must have been about Tina's age, actually…she looked terrified, and she started rambling in Arabic. My buddy spoke enough to tell me she was thanking me. The guy that beat her…well, let's just say, he never did that again, you catchin' my dirft?" Fin said, looking Eli dead in the eye._

"_Yes, sir," Eli squeaked._

"_I mean, if I did that for a woman I didn't even know, imagine what I would do if someone laid a hand on my wife…or my daughter," Fin said, reassembling his weapon. Eli swallowed hard, and Tina picked that exact moment to emerge from her room, dressed in a pair of tight, but not too tight, jeans and a form fitting top that Fin despised. The top, however, had passed Olivia's criteria for "acceptable attire," so he let it slide. _

"_Hi Eli," she said shyly, with a big smile on her face. Eli jumped to his feet. Tina turned her head and saw what her father was doing._

"_Mom!" she squealed. "Does he have to do that _now_?" Olivia was right behind Tina and took in the scene for herself. _

"_Well, if you want, I could clean mine, too," Olivia chided._

"_Mom!" Tina cried, even more mortified._

"_Uhh…maybe we should get going," Eli said, feeling _very_ uncomfortable all of a sudden, even though he had known the entire Tutuola family for years. Tina turned her attention back towards him._

"_Yeah…yeah, that's probably a good idea," Tina said. Eli went to take her hand and realized he was still clutching the box of chocolates._

"_Oh, before I forget. These are for you," he said, holding them out to her. Tina's face fell. She didn't want to be rude, but she couldn't accept them. "They're sugar-free," Eli added quickly. "I saw them when I was out, and I knew you could eat them. You can, right?" Tina gasped and smiled._

"_You found sugar free chocolates? For me?" she said. Tina knew where to find the best sugar free candy in town, but in her experience, very few others did._

"_Yeah…what did you think I was going to do? Give you candy you couldn't eat?" he said, trying to impress her. Fin and Olivia exchanged glances. Olivia was touched at his actions because it showed that he was paying attention to Tina and not just attracted to her physically. Fin scowled. Yes, he was impressed with Eli's gesture, but he didn't like the goo-goo eyes Tina was making back at him._

"_Mom…" she whispered, extending the box._

"_I'll…just find a place for these in the refrigerator," Olivia said, taking the box from Tina._

"_You look…wow," Eli said, scanning her. Tina blushed._

"_Thanks," she said. There was another awkward moment._

"_So…shall we get going?" he said, offering her his arm. She took it, and as they headed out the front door, she looked back at her parents with the biggest grin on her face and waved good-night._

"_I hate him," Fin said, once the door closed behind the couple._

"_Oh, stop. You just don't like that he's a male interested in your daughter," Olivia chided. "I think he's turned into a very fine young man." _

"_Yeah, well…I still hate him," Fin said again._

Fin still hated the fact that his daughter was dating, but Eli had proven over and over again that he wasn't just trying to get into Tina's pants. He genuinely cared about her, and she seemed to have real feelings for him. And if there was one thing Fin hated, it was seeing his daughter upset. So, he tried to get used to having Eli around, but he always made sure Eli knew that Tina had a father who wasn't afraid of retaliating against anyone that hurt his baby girl.

XxXxX

_The room around her was dark, cold, and damp. She wasn't sure why, but she felt absolutely terrified of someone or something…there was danger here, and every bone in her body told her to run. She could hear heavy breathing… panting, really, of someone who was after her. He was stalking her like prey, and she knew she needed to run. Except she couldn't. Every direction she tried to go brought her to a wall she couldn't break through._

_And then the screaming started; a scream so distinct and familiar, she didn't have to see the victim to know who it was._

"_Mom!" she called, and yet the screaming persisted, growing louder and louder…so loud she had to cover her own ears to block out the shrill. She had never heard a sound like that in her life, a sound so primal and painful, she could only imagine what was happening to her mother. She tried to run towards it. Perhaps there was some way she could help her, or at least put her out of her misery. As she ran, she tripped. She looked back to see what had gotten in her way, and she saw her own father lying on the concrete ground, beaten, bloodied and chained._

"_Dad, Dad!" she cried. "Dad, wake up! Mom needs help before the man comes back. Mom needs…"_

Tina sat up with a start, realizing that the sheer terror she had just felt was nothing more than a dream. And yet, it felt real, somehow, as if it was more than a dream. She scanned the room, realizing that she was still in the hospital, and her mother was curled up in the cot next to her bed, sound asleep. There was no danger here; her mother was absolutely fine.

Her heart was still pounding from the nightmare she had just had. She couldn't shake the memory of it, nor could she shake the feeling that it had actually happened, but the images were so surreal it couldn't have possibly happened. She slipped out of bed, dragging her IV stand with her, and headed for the bathroom. Once inside, she splashed water on her face, trying to push the horrific images from her mind.

"Tina?" she heard, and she jumped a mile.

"Mom! You scared me to death," she said to the figure behind her.

"I heard you up. You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah. I just had a bad dream," Tina confessed. Olivia studied her carefully.

"Sweetheart, you're shaking," she observed. Tina looked down at her hands and saw very obvious tremor. Her own heart was pounding so hard she thought it might leap out of her chest. "C'mon, come out here and tell me about this dream of yours." Tina let her mom slip an arm around her shoulders and guide her back to bed, dragging the IV pole with her.

"I don't know if I can explain it. I was in this dark room, and all I could hear was this bone chilling screaming," Tina began. "And…I knew there was something…or someone that I was terrified of. I think he was trying to kill me or something, and I just wanted to get to the screaming," she said.

"Who was screaming, Honey?" Olivia asked. Tina hesitated.

"You." Tina couldn't tell in the darkened room, but the blood drained from Olivia's face. Every so often, Tina had dreams like this that she couldn't explain.

"Well, I'm fine," Olivia said. "What else happened?"

"I was trying to find you, and then I tripped over something. When I looked back, it was Dad…but he was bloody and unconscious and…" she said, followed by a sigh. "I don't know. It scared the hell out of me because it seemed so real, you know? Like, it actually happened or something." Olivia swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Tina, Honey, it was just a dream. Nothing like that has ever happened," Olivia assured her. Tina's nightmares were the only indication that she had any memory at all of what happened with the Colin brothers, and Olivia was sure that if she could convince Tina the dreams were nothing more that figments of her imagination, then Tina would never have to know the truth.

"I know, Mom," Tina said as Olivia tucked her back into bed. "Like I said, it just seemed so real."

"It wasn't," Olivia repeated. Tina reached over, flipped on the light next to her bed, and picked up her Kindle – which she had already loaded with at least two dozen books on her "to read" list.

"Will it bother you if I read for a bit? Just to calm my nerves?" Tina asked. Olivia smiled.

"Try not to stay up too long. You need rest," she said, curling back onto the cot. Tina read for at least another hour before she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and finally fell into a fitful sleep.

_**Not going to give too much away, but the groundwork is being very carefully laid. Oh, and I hope you all enjoyed Liv and Eli's first date. **___

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Hey, is this a bad time?" Eli asked, knocking on Tina's hospital room door at precisely noon. Tina and Olivia were once again engrossed in a heated gin rummy tournament, but at the sight of her boyfriend, Tina dropped the cards on the table, forgetting the game entirely.

"Eli!" she exclaimed, noting that he was holding an arrangement of carnations and lilies with a mylar balloon that screamed "Get Well Soon!" in bright pink letters. But what interested her the most was the brown paper bag he was clutching in his other hand. Olivia cleared away the cards and the paper and pen she had been using to keep score.

"Why don't I go grab a cup of coffee," she suggested. "You two behave yourselves." She kissed Tina on the forehead and left the two teenagers alone. Eli set the flowers down on the table next to Tina's bed.

"They're beautiful, thank you," Tina said. Eli blushed slightly.

"I thought you could use something to make this place less….sterile," he said. He leaned in a kissed her, taking a moment to savor the taste of her lips.

"So…what's in the bag?" Tina asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Chicken and snow peas from that little Chinese place you love," he told her. Her eyes lit up.

"You brought _food_? You have no idea how much I love you right now," she said as he began unpacking the steaming white boxes. He extracted a bottle of Diet Coke from the bag for her and regular Coke for him, along with two sets of chopsticks.

"Well, your dad mentioned that you weren't too happy with the food here, so I thought…" he began.

"You thought you'd bring me lunch. Seriously, you have _no_ idea how hard it is to find something edible here. And apparently, I'm not adorable enough for the nurses to take pity on me anymore," she said, shoving a piece of chicken into her mouth.

"Well, they're wrong, because I happen to think you're incredibly adorable," Eli said, earning him a smile and a blush from Tina.

"So what's going on out there? Are Kristen and Luke still dating? Because I heard they were arguing on the quad the other day. I mean, I know Kristen can be sort of a bitch, but Luke isn't much better and…" Tina chattered while she dug around the Chinese food at the same time. Kristen and Luke both went to Eli's school out in Queens, but from the numerous parties Eli and Tina had attended together, they had friends at both schools.

"Hang on, slow down," Eli said with a chuckle. "They broke up for about a minute." Tina's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, Kristen got make that Luke was supposedly flirting with some other cheerleader and went bezerk. In actuality, he just gave the girl a ride home because she missed the bus or something like that. But, you know Kristen…if Luke so much as _looks_ at another girl, he must be cheating." Tina laughed at the mental image.

"Well, he probably was, knowing Luke," Tina said.

"Hey, he happens to be a good friend of mine. He's a flirt, but he always knows when enough is enough," Eli defended.

"I know he is, but he has a roving eye. He hit on _me,_ once," Tina said. Eli's brow furrowed.

"Before or after we were official?" he asked.

"After," she said. She popped another piece of chicken into her mouth, chewed carefully, and swallowed. "Don't worry. I gave him a hell of a black eye to remind him not to do that again." Eli snorted.

"Typical. I'm supposed to defend you, and you take care of the problem before I even know about it," Eli observed. "So, any idea when you're getting out of here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Tomorrow, maybe. George is giving me just a saline drip, so as long as everything else checks out, that should be the end of it. Of course, if they have to give me another insulin infusion, then it'll be longer," Tina said, pointing to her IV pole. From the time she was about seven, she started naming her IV poles and essentially developing personalities for them as if they were actual people. It had started as a game that Olivia invented to combat the endless hours of boredom from being cooped up in bed for so long.

"George this time, hm?" Eli said.

"Yeah. I haven't had a 'George' yet," Tina quipped back.

"Well, if you're out by this weekend, I'd still like to take you to that restaurant in the Village and maybe a movie, if you feel up to it," Eli said. Tina smiled.

"I can probably handle a movie, but we may have to take a raincheck on that dinner," she said. "Every time they mess with my insulin, I get so freaking tired." Eli smiled back at her.

"That's fine. Whatever you feel up to. I just feel like I haven't seen you in ages," he said.

"I know. I feel the same way," Tina said. The two of them had picked the food clean, so Eli packed everything up and tossed it into the garbage can.

"As long as our next date isn't in a hospital, I'm up for anything," he told her, and she grinned. Meanwhile, Olivia checked her watch. She wanted to give her daughter some privacy, but she didn't want to leave them alone too long. She was always hesitant when it came to leaving Tina unsupervised with a boy, so she decided to head back to Tina's room.

Olivia did her best to keep Tina occupied, as did Eli and Fin on their regular visits, but she had finished _Tale of Two Cities_, started _The Scarlet Letter_, and beaten Olivia at cards over the next day that full-fledged boredom had set it. So, when the endocrinologist finally decided that she was well enough to go home, with a new insulin dosage, she was more than eager to leave. Olivia had gotten home with her and settled for a nap of her own, only to be interrupted by an urgent case that Cragen insisted she handle. Apparently, the squad had tracked down a perp with a particular preference for brunettes, and since he wasn't spilling his guts to Rollins or Amaro, Cragen hoped that Olivia might be able to entice him into a full-on confession. Reluctantly, she agreed, dragging on suitable clothes to go to the office.

Fin and Tina decided to split a pizza and salad for dinner, and while Fin was engrossed in the Knicks game, Tina pulled out her Kindle and immersed herself in Colonial New England. She perched herself on the sofa, wanting to spend time with her father, but not necessarily interested in basketball.

"Hey Dad," she asked as the game paused for halftime. "Have you ever thought about cheating on Mom?" Fin's face twisted in utter confusion at his daughter's question, seemingly from nowhere.

"Where in the world did that come from?" he asked. Tina shrugged her shoulders.

"Just this book I'm reading. It's about this woman who was sleeping with a married man, and she was basically publicly humiliated because she refused to turn him in. And, I was just wondering…I mean, you and Mom have been together a long time, so maybe…I don't know," she said.

"Tina," Fin said with a seriousness that warranted her full attention. She dropped the Kindle on the cushion next to her, and faced him. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you. Your mother is the _only_ woman in the world that I have any interest in. There are things that she and I have been through that bring people closer together than I ever thought possible. I could never do _anything_ to hurt her. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," she said.

"All right, then," he said, turning his attention back to the TV while she returned to her book.

"So, you two are more like Romeo and Juliet, right?" she asked after a moment.

"That's right," Fin said.

"You know they died, right?" she said with a grin on her face. Flustered, Fin contemplated his options. He could continue to sit here and debate the intensity of his marriage with his teenaged daughter who was too smart for her own good, or…

"Go to bed, Tina," he said. Tina glanced at the clock. He had already let her stay up well past her usual bedtime, so she wasn't going to argue.

"All right, all right, I was just kidding," she said, as she walked over to him, kissed his cheek and headed for her bedroom with her precious Kindle tucked under her arm. Before she got there, though, she paused and turned back to him.

"For the record, if you ever did cheat on Mom, I think I'd have to castrate you myself," Tina said. If Tina had known about her mother's assault, and the acts of violence committed against her entire family, she would have understood that her parents' marriage was stronger than most. Fin contemplated the letter from the parole board. If Colin did get out, there was still a chance he might return. And if he did, Tina would have to know to protect herself.

"Tina…" Fin began, ready to tell her the deepest family secret they had. She turned towards him again.

"Yeah, Dad?" she asked. And looking into her big, innocent brown eyes, so very much like Olivia's, he faltered. He had promised Olivia years ago, right after he moved back in that he would never tell Tina what happened. She had managed to forget so much of it that Olivia insisted she was better off not knowing. He was conflicted between his desire to protect Tina and his promise to his wife.

"I love you, Honey," he said, leaving it at that.

"Love you, too, Dad," she replied. She grinned and scampered towards her room. Fin was thinking about Joseph Colin and the letter from the parole board, and the fact that Olivia had all but ignored her letter. But it was his little girl in the next room that convinced him he was going to have to brave the wrath of Olivia and confront her, and when Olivia came home almost at the end of the game, that's exactly what he did.

"How'd it go with Tina tonight?" Olivia asked, laying a bag from the pharmacy with Tina's new medication on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, fine. Your daughter just threatened to castrate me," he said nonchalantly. Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, she did, did she? What happened?" she asked with a slight laugh. Fin recanted the conversation about adultery to Olivia, who merely shook her head.

"That girl is too smart for her own good," Olivia mused.

"Liv, if she knew…about fourteen years ago…she might understand us more," he said, trying to lead into where he was going. Olivia's head snapped up.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" she said, her tone becoming instantly icy.

"That you were banging our lawyer? No," Fin said, instantly regretting scraping open that wound. It was a low blow, but he didn't like her frosty tone.

"Keep it up, and I bet I can still find his number somewhere," she said, wagging a warning finger and heading into the next room.

"Liv, wait, I didn't tell her about the other stuff either, but I wanted to," Fin said. "She needs to know, now more than ever."

"What are you talking about? We agreed fourteen years ago, when she mercifully forgot everything that happened that we wouldn't remind her," Olivia spat.

"He's up for parole again," Fin said quietly, holding up the letter. "There's one for you, too." Olivia instantly knew what the letter would say. "He was sentenced to fifteen years, and his time is almost up. Honey, you have to go this time. You have to tell them what it was like, what he did to this entire family so they don't let him out." Olivia swallowed hard.

"I didn't go the last two times, and the parole board seemed to be smart enough to keep him in his cage. Clearly whatever you said was enough," she retorted.

"They're going to need something more compelling this time, Liv, and you know that. Fourteen years is going to be close enough that it's going to take a display of raw emotion to convince them to keep him locked up. You're a cop; you've heard all about the overcrowded prisons how they need to constantly make more room," he explained patiently.

"So, of course, by all means, let's let Joseph Colin out, who will rape and kill again," Olivia spat back. Fin paused for a moment.

"Exactly," he said softly. "To them he's close to time served. _You_ have to tell them what he did so that they come to the same conclusion we have; he's a dangerous mother fucker whose ass needs to be locked up for as long as legally possible. Hell, if I could stick a damn needle in his arm myself, I would."

"Please, Fin, don't push this, ok? After we moved out of the old apartment, I finally started to feel like myself again. I deal with the same scumbags I used to every day, and I'm fine. Moving got rid of most of the anxiety and the nightmares. I'm functioning again. Am I the same person I was before? No, but I'll never be that Olivia again, but I've reached a point where I'm ready to say, 'you know what? This is pretty damn close,'" she answered. It had taken the two of them some time to put the pieces together, but their old two bedroom, one and a half bath apartment needed an upgrade. At the very least, having the only shower in the bathroom located off the master bedroom was going to present problems when Tina reached the age where she could bathe unsupervised. They had found their current two bedroom, two bath apartment within a block of the nearest hospital, which Olivia had insisted on for Tina's sake. The change in surroundings proved to be exactly what she needed to let go of most of her demons, with the exception of a few quirks. But Olivia was right, she had progressed to a point where even her therapist had stated her recovery was better than anyone could have expected.

"I can't," she said softly after a long minute.

"Why not?" Fin asked.

"I can't go back there. I can't talk about what he did to me, and how he took my daughter and terrorized her, and…" Olivia stopped as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. "I can't." Fin gathered his wife into his arms.

"I will be right there with you, Baby Girl," he said. "If you won't do it for yourself, will you do it for Tina?"

_**Think Olivia will go to the parole board hearing? She's missed the last two…was Fin persuasive enough? And how adorable are Tina and Eli? More to come!**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Olivia bit her lip and glanced down at the floor. She didn't want anything to do with Joseph Colin. He had raped and tortured her in front of her family and helped kill one of their children. She wanted to forget he ever existed and take solace in the idea he died lonely, sad, and terrified on a cold gurney with a needle in his arm, but she knew that it would never happen. Plus, everything Fin had told her was true. He would get out and wreck more people's lives. It was going to happen eventually whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Olivia was also keenly aware that Tina was going away to college next year. Even if Joseph did get out of prison, and set his heart on coming after them again, Olivia could make sure that Tina was safely tucked away in a dorm room somewhere far away from him and his beliefs. One more year, and she could make sure she followed through on what she had tried to do since the moment Tina was placed in her arms at the hospital – keep her safe.

Olivia let out a breath as she ran a shaking hand through her brunette locks littered with light strands of gray. "I don't know," she sighed as she looked towards Fin. "Let me think about it, but I don't know, Fin."

Fin offered his wife a soft smile before he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, knowing if he pressed the issue further she would just revert from 'let me think about it' back to 'no'.

"It's not for a few weeks anyway. We've got some time to think about it, okay?" He gave her another kiss. "We don't need to talk about it anymore tonight." Olivia offered no words of thanks and instead, wrapped her arms around him and cuddled into his chest, enjoying the warmth and security he brought her.

They stayed wrapped in one another's arms for a while before heading off to bed. Olivia tripled checked that all the locks on the door were firmly in place before she went into the bathroom, cleaned up, and got into bed where Fin was laying down on the sheets clad only in his briefs.

The tattoo of his children's names he had retouched every five years shone brightly in midnight black ink against his skin. He never got anything added to them, but he didn't want their names to appear even remotely faded because that would imply he forgot them, and there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about them. Olivia climbed into bed next to him wearing her usual ensemble of pajama pants and a tank top and rested her head on his chest, his strong beating heart comforting to her and almost like a lullaby that gently lulled her to sleep. Her fingers traced the ink embedded in his chest, as she did almost every night. Fin held her tight in his arms and kissed the top of her forehead.

"You okay, Baby Girl?" he asked softly. Olivia was silent for a moment before she spoke, not lifting her head up from him nor did she stop tracing the artwork.

"Do you think they're still children?" she asked quietly.

"I do," he told her gently as he stroked her hair. "I think they're up there, all three of them, still babies, and they got Mama and all the other angels taking care of them, and they're waiting until we get up there before they even think about growing up an inch." Olivia couldn't help but smile as Fin's words mulled around inside her head. She liked that image. Her three children she never got to hold were being doted on and looked after by their loving family and angels who never got tired of caring for them.

Olivia lifted her head from his chest and kissed him.

"Thank you," she told him gently.

"You ain't gotta thank me for telling you the truth, Baby Girl." Olivia smiled again before she settled silently back into his chest once more. She allowed him to hold her for a few minutes before she separated from him and put the customary body pillow between them for the night. She reached over and grabbed his hand as she settled into bed, letting him know that, even if it wasn't the same thing, she still loved being held by him at night. Olivia drifted off into a peaceful sleep with dreams full of her smiling babies.

The unusual peacefulness of her sleep was rudely taken hostage by the usual chaos of getting everyone out the door on time in the morning in the Tutuola household.

"Mom!" Tina yelled from her room as he searched through her closet. "I have nothing to wear!"

"You have more clothes then God, Tina! Pick something quick, we gotta go!" Olivia yelled from the kitchen, setting a glass of milk on the counter for Tina. She had a mountain and a half of paperwork to do that needed to get done by the end of the day, Fin was due in court at nine, and Tina was running late for class. Overall, it wasn't exactly a very peaceful morning.

"That's my summer wardrobe! I don't have any fall wardrobe clothing! I have like nothing to wear at all! Why do you want me to go to school naked?!" Tina wailed, as if her entire world would crumble to pieces if she didn't have the right clothes. Olivia rolled her eyes as she pulled an English muffin out of the toaster and topped it with a fried egg and cheese.

"Well just hurry up, alright? We're running late!" Tina let out a frustrated scream, and Olivia just shook her head as Fin emerged from their bedroom wearing a suit with his jacket over his shoulder and a file under his arm.

"Wardrobe meltdown?" he asked as he grabbed a travel coffee mug and filled it.

"A full closet, an overflowing hamper, and an entire dresser stuffed of clothes but nothing to wear," Olivia informed him as she assembled a second sandwich. "And somehow it's our fault."

"Isn't it always?" Fin reached over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he picked up one of the sandwiches and took a huge bite.

"Tina, you're not skipping breakfast this morning, so hurry up!" she yelled out to her daughter as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"You heard your mother! Move it, Tina!" Fin yelled in support of his wife. "I gotta go. See you around 6:00. Love you," he said, kissing Olivia and rushing out the door with his breakfast in hand.

"Love you, too," Olivia replied. A minute later Tina emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of dark jeans that, in Olivia and Fin's opinion, looked exactly like every other pair of jeans their daughter owned but Tina insisted was different, and a black fitted shirt with a design of two gold and silver snakes that appeared to be wrapped around her shirt with her hair pulled into a thick ponytail of micro braids.

"Gotta go, running late," Tina said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and racing for the front door.

"Tina!" Olivia called. "Do you want to end up in the hospital again? Breakfast!" she said, wrapping the second egg sandwich in a paper towel and thrusting it in her daughter's hand as she ran out the front door.

The moment Tina and Fin were gone Olivia checked the locks, not only on the front door but the windows as well. She turned on the TV for the noise and immediately began to busy herself. Tina's episodes in the hospital usually put Olivia out of commission for a few days, so Cragen wasn't expecting her at the precinct until Wednesday. Cragen had actually proven to be extremely understanding in the past fourteen years, scheduling Liv and Fin on opposite schedules so at least one of them could be at home when Tina was. On the days when Olivia spent her time in the deafening quiet of their apartment alone, she turned to cleaning to fill her time because it took the same amount of time to clean the whole place, top to bottom, as it took for Tina to come home from school. Fin had asked her about it one time and Olivia told him it keeps her mind off of what happened to her and kept her from thinking that any moment he would crash through her door again and lead her into an all new nightmare.

Once in a while the strong chemical smell would remind her of them covering her in cleaning supplies to 'cleanse' her but over time, she discovered scents that masked the harshness and didn't trigger a flashback. The end result was that the house smelled like lavender and lemon, but it wasn't so bad.

Eight hours later all the dishes had been cleaned to the point of near sensitization, the cupboards had been re-organized by appliance, size, and color, both bathrooms gleamed, the living room, kitchen and dining room had been scrubbed to the point of near godliness, and the master bedroom, to include their closet, was something out of a magazine. Olivia had just finished putting the last of the food inside the fridge she had just cleaned when she heard the tell tale sign of a key in the door.

"Hey, Mom," Tina greeted joyfully. "I brought a friend home for dinner, is that cool?"

"Sure," said Olivia as she threw the sponge down on the counter. "The more the merrier." Tina gave her mother a smile of gratitude and she turned back towards the hallway.

"She said it's okay." She opened the door a little wider to reveal a seventeen year old girl with brown skin and hair in tiny braids with red, blue, green, white, and black colored beads and tiny shells woven into her braids wearing a red, black, and green Pan-African flag bandanna like a ponytail holder. Tina was slender, much like Olivia had been before pregnancy, but this girl was at least twice Tina's size and wearing a 'traditional' multicolored striped African Dress that was most likely made in China and brown flip flops with a brown leather bag with an African Flag patch sewn onto the front and a large sea shell beaded necklace

"Mom, this is Sha'Niqua Johnson, she just moved here a month ago. Sha'Niqua, this is my mom."

"Hi, Sha'Niqua," said Olivia with a smile as the two young girls walked into the kitchen. "It's very nice to meet you. Do you want a snack or something to eat?"

"Uh, okay first off, 'Johnson' is my slave name," She'Niqua told Olivia eyeing her like she had personally offended her. "My real name is She'Niqua Jamaya Akuli. Second, I only eat traditional foods from my homeland where you and all yo cracker kin stole me from." Olivia looked at this girl for a moment who crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she was daring the older woman to argue with her.

"Okay... well... we have apples, cottage cheese, peanut butter and crackers… " she offered.

"Mom, she only eats African Food," Tina told her mother. Olivia raised her brow as if to say 'are you serious?' before She'Niqua spoke.

"And don't forget McDonald's, girl," She'Niqua said with a rather obnoxious laugh. "And pizza. And I LOVE some of that Pork Fried Rice that lil' Kung Fu place serves." Olivia cleared her throat and offered the guest a smile.

"Well I think I might be able to rustle up some lion meat somewhere for dinner," Olivia said with a laugh. She'Niqua's eyes widened as she crossed her arms, and gave Olivia the meanest look she could muster.

"Okay, I know you ain't mocking my heritage, Whitey!" she practically spat.

"Whitey?" Olivia asked, confused.

"What, all black people gotta eat lion meat because we all live in the bush?" She'Niqua challenged. Olivia swallowed hard.

"I didn't mean to offend you. It was a joke."

"Yeah because Whities always gets to joke about black pride right? I make fun of whatever pasty lily white culture you pale ass came from I'd be strung up from Central Park, but let's all have a good laugh at black heritage right? And what, I'm just supposed to laugh it off because you white?" Olivia shrugged.

"Well, you could try, but there isn't much in Hungarian and British culture to mock."

"Oh, but Africa and my people are just there to mock?!" Olivia groaned as she ran a hand through her hair, quickly losing her patience with this teenager.

"Look, I-."

"Ya know what? I'm done wit' you, Whitey. Tee, where's your room at?" Tina, who knew her newest friend was big on black pride, stood in stunned silence for a few moments before she cleared her throat and pointed towards her door.

"Uh, it's right through there." Acting as if she lived in the apartment she was visiting, She'Niqua strutted with her head as high as she could make it towards Tina's bedroom.

"Tee, what's holdin' you up?" she shouted from the room.

"Coming!" Tina answered as she tried to head towards the bedroom, but Olivia stood in front of her, blocking her way with a glare.

"What is her deal?" Olivia demanded. Tina shrugged.

"It just takes a while to get to know her. She's really nice."

"Oh yeah, she needs to be put in for a sainthood," said Olivia dryly.

"I'll talk to her, okay?"

"Good idea." Tina rolled her eyes before she pushed by Olivia and went to her room, shutting the door behind her. Olivia shook her head as pulled out her iPhone and quickly googled 'Traditional African Recipes.' Even if she didn't like the girl Tina had brought over, Olivia was still going to make an effort. Maybe they had just gotten off on the wrong foot.

All of the recipes made Olivia cringe. Either they looked like something nothing in her family would eat, were too complicated even for a good home cook like her, or would require ingredients she had no idea where to find. Finally she settled on Kuku na Nazi, a chicken dish with coconut milk. It was the only thing that looked like her family might enjoy, she had most of the ingredients handy, and it wasn't all that complicated.

She texted Fin the ingredients she didn't have to pick up after work, got out two packages of chicken to defrost, and set to work on the salad and the back-up plan encase it turned out terrible.

XxXxX

She'Niqua was sitting on Tina's bed browsing through one of her magazines and Tina sat down beside her and sighed as she began to play with one of her braids and twisting it in her fingers.

"Can you do me a favor and, like, dial back the Malcolm X rant a little bit?" Tina asked as politely as she could without offending her friend. Sha'Niqua scoffed as she turned her attention from the glossy magazine to Tina.

"Why? Is yo' white Mama getting' a complex? She should!"

"No, but she's getting a little annoyed with it."

"Yeah, but I bet she got some black in her somewhere. Shes dark for a cracker and she got some ghetto curves on her," said She'Niqua with a slightly obnoxious laugh. Tina wrinkled her nose. She was willing to admit that her mom was pretty, but she didn't like that Sha'Niqua seemed to be checking Olivia out.

"I'm not sure what she has in her except Hungarian and British. She never met her dad, but can you just leave her alone? Please?" Sha'Niqua scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"A White man actually ran out on his family? Damn! Her Mama must have been one hell of a ho!"

"Look," said Tina as she tried to hide her growing anger. "Just stop ragging on my family, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" Sha'Niqua held her hands up in defense. "Damn, Tee, the way you yellin' at a sistah I'm startin' to think you take after yo' mama's side of the family."

"I'm not taking sides, but she's my mom, and I really don't want to spend the rest of my senior year, you know, grounded." Sha'Niqua shook her head in apparent disgust.

"Ain't that just like a cracker to chain up a sister because she got a different opinion then her. But I gotcha. I'll behave for The Man."

"Thank you. Now did you hear about Khloe and Kanye? They broke up!"

"Oh my God, girl, I did! He moved through that Kardashian Clan like it was nothin'! That nigga a heart breaker!"

"I know! I mean I wouldn't mind if he broke my heart…and a few other things, you know what I'm saying?" Tina said with a smirk.

"Girl, please! You still hooked up on that cracka bitch, Elijah?"

"Eli," Tina corrected, a smile on her lips at the mere thought of her boyfriend. "And I love him, yes, but Kanye is my back up." Sha'Niqua shook her head.

"See that's the problem with our race nowadays, Tee! You a good little black queen who ain't even let anyone screw you yet, and you fallin' for the enemy! It's the same across the board! Good blacks go with good crackers and bitch niggas are left with bitch hos!" Tina shrugged.

"Don't be a bitch ho."

"I ain't but you need to find you a good black man, not some blonde hair blue eyed Aryan 'Hiel Hitler' cracker bitch. You need to find a sexy African King."

"Like Kanye?"

"Oh hell no, that nigga a bitch nigga if I ever saw one, but he got a chest you could iron a shirt on and his dick probably a foot long in sleeper mode." Tina laughed so hard at her friends comment she all but fell out of the bed.

"You are just... wow!" Tina shook her head, a beaming grin on her face as she sat back on the bed.

XxXxX

Two hours later Tina and She'Niqua had yet to reemerge from her bedroom but Olivia heard laughter from both girls so she didn't think anything of it. Olivia had just finished marinating the chicken in her own blend she knew her family loved when Fin unlocked the door and walked in with two bags in one hand and a case of Diet Coke for him and Tina in the other.

"Hey," she greeted not turning away from dinner, but turning her cheek so Fin could kiss her.

"Hey, Baby Girl."

"You get my stuff?"

"Of course," he told her as he walked into the kitchen and set down the food on the counter. "Why the hell do you need coconut cream and curry powder though?"

"I know you aren't a fan of anything curry but Tina's new friend really loves African food so I'm making her Kuku na Nazi. You ever hear of it?"

"No but I'm sure if you make it it'll be amazing." Fin wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the side of the head. "You are making a back up though right?"

"One of your favorites, my famous baked chicken," she told him with a smirk as she leaned back in his embrace. Fin groaned appreciatively.

"You treat me good, Baby Girl." He gave her a final kiss and a quick smack on the ass before he pulled away. "You need any help?"

"Can you start chopping that chicken? Then if you wouldn't mind slicing the onions, garlic, and coriander?"

"I'm on it." Fin grabbed a few cloves of Garlic from the fridge and began to cut them.

"So Tina's new friend. Do we like her?"

"Not really," she grumbled quietly so only Fin could hear her.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse." Fin let out a low whistle.

"And you're cooking Kuku Nazi for her?" Olivia shrugged.

"I'm trying to be nice," she said a bit sarcastically. Fin chuckled softly as he continued to cut up the garlic.

"I'm sure she's not that bad." he replied. Olivia raised her brow at him for a moment before she spoke.

"Tina, can you come her a second?" There was a moment of silence before the door opened and Tina along with Sha'Niqua walked out of her bedroom. When Sha'Niqua saw Fin with a cutting knife in his hand she rolled her eyes, completely ignoring the piles of chicken in front of Olivia.

"Of course a cracker gonna make a brother cook for her," she grumbled.

"Hey, Sha'Niqua, I just wanted to introduce you to my husband," Olivia said with a kind smile. "Fin, this is Sha'Niqua Johnson, Sha'Niqua, this-."

"I told you that be my slave name! My real name is She'Niqua Jamaya Akuli!"

"... Okay anyway, this is my husband Fin Tutuola, you can call him Mr. Tutuola."

"What a Black man can't introduce himself? Whitey gotta do it for him?" Sha'Niqua snapped, completely ignoring Tina's last warning.

"It's called being polite," Olivia challenged. Sha'Niqua gave her a look of haughty derision.

"What because I'm black I don't got manners? Oh, all them black folks don't have enough manners, Masta' gotta teach us how to act propa' is that right? And really, Snow Flake, you gonna preach about manners? I'm not the one who forced millions of people into slavery and oppressed them even to this day like you been doing! I have been oppressed and denied rights because of the color of my skin by you and your kin! And I have had my civil liberties stripped away because I am a speck of color amongst-!"

"Hang on," Fin interrupted as he leaned back against the counter. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she answered with a smirk., "'Bout to be eighteen next month though, my brotha."

"We're not related," he said dryly. "And what do your parents do for a living?"

"My mama's a marketing exec on Wall Street somewhere and my dad's a lawyer for NBC."

"And I assume you live around here?"

"Three buildings down. Top floor."

"Okay... you do realize that you have faced no personal oppression and no civil liberties have ever been stripped from you right, and you have had it pretty well off in life, right?" Sha'Niqua scoffed in disbelief.

"Excuse me, I think I know about oppression and racism just as much as you, brotha."

"Once again, we are not related. Also, you do not know true oppression. You never had to march down streets where people threw glass bottles at you and your parents just for the right to eat at the same diner as other people. You never got told 'walk on the other side of the road, this is the white side.' MY parents drove down to Alabama, with my sister and I, during the Civil Rights movement. I remember having random strangers babysitting me while some church tried to bail my parents out of jail simply because they were arrested for the color of their skin." Fin took a deep breath before he shook his head. "Don't say you've faced that kind of crap when you have no idea what true oppression is."

Sha'Niqua didn't seem the least bit fazed.

"Brotha, you've been hanging with Whitey for far too long."

"And stop calling my wife that!"

"Brotha, talk to the hand. Tee, let's go." Not really wanting to deal with the repercussions of two angry parents Tina hurried in after Sha'Niqua and shut the door behind them.

"Oh I can't stand her," Fin muttered when the door had been shut. "I really can't."

"Join the club," Olivia grumbled as she turned back to her chicken. "I'm assuming this is the last time we see her?"

"Second that."

Olivia curtly nodded. "Good. Now let's make this Nazi chicken so we can tell Tina we at least made an effort." Nearly an hour later the Kuku na Nazi was finished, and both Olivia and Fin were looking down in the pot containing their first attempt at African cuisine.

"I mean it looks like the picture," Fin offered with a shrug as he poked at it with a fork.

"Yeah but..." Olivia stirred it with a spoon still frowning at the concoction. "It doesn't exactly look all that appetizing. And it doesn't really smell like coconut. Or chicken."

"It just smells like heat," Fin added to which Olivia nodded in agreement as she poured it into a large glass bowl. "It's got 'Nazi' in the name, of course it isn't gonna look good." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "But I'm sure it'll taste amazing." Olivia smiled as she shut off the stove and turned to the oven. She opened the door and both inhaled the scent deeply as the smell of chicken they actually knew would taste good.

"I don't know anything about Nazi Chicken but this smells good," Fin said, salivating at the mere thought of Olivia's plump, juicy chicken with exactly the right balance of flavor. Olivia smirked as she took the chicken out of the oven.

"Thank you. Tina, Sha'Niqua, dinner!" Both girls emerged from her bedroom and sat at the table that Fin had already set.

"Okay, now I decided we're going to try something new," said Olivia as she set the bowl of African chicken in the center of the table while Fin grabbed the salad and wild rice. "This is an African Recipe called 'Kuku na Nazi' and, Sha'Niqua, I made it especially for you, since you said you only eat African food." Sha'Niqua scoffed.

"I ain't eatin' nothin' with no Nazi in it!" she exclaimed.

"You will try it because we made it especially for you," said Fin as he scooped out a helping of rice, chicken, and salad for Sha'Niqua followed by Tina. Fin began scooping out a meal for Olivia who was busy getting drinks out for everyone. Sha'Niqua scoffed.

"Brotha, you really gonna serve Whitey? Hundreds of years passed, and you still serving the people who oppressed you? That's wrong, my brotha! You a strong African King! You need to stand up for yourself against the cracka oppressors!" she finished throwing a sharp glare at Olivia who rolled her eyes and shut the refrigerator door shut a little harder then she intended to.

"I am not an African King. I am an American Veteran, and at least 6 great grandparents stand between me and anyone who was even told stories of how it was in Africa," Fin told her with a bit of iciness as Olivia sat down at the table and set a carton of grape juice and three cans of Diet Coke in the middle of the table. Sha'Niqua grabbed one of the sodas, as did Fin and Tina, as Olivia poured herself a glass of juice.

"Oh I see how it is," Sha'Niqua snapped. "Give the blacks the crappy poisoning soda while Whitey gets the good juice. What, they ain't good enough for juice?"

"Fin, Tina, do you want juice, or are you good with your sodas I buy especially for you two and don't touch?" asked Olivia as she took a sip of the purple drink, knowing full well the only time Tina would touch juice is when her blood sugar was bottoming out.

"I'm good," Fin said matter-of-factly.

"Me too," Tina added quickly. Olivia knew it was immature, but she couldn't help it. She sent a smirk towards Sha'Niqua who merely glared at her.

"She'Niqua, do you want some juice, or are you good with a soda?" She'Niqua just rolled her eyes and pulled open the tab on her soda and took a sip from it. Olivia shook her head as she picked up her fork and took a scoop of rice and chicken. She swallowed hard before she shoveled the forkful into her mouth. She lasted about three seconds before she picked up her napkin and spat her food into it.

"Oh my God, that's hot!" she gasped as she took a long drink of juice. Fin took a deep breath as he picked up his own forkful. He paused before he too placed it in his mouth only to take a napkin and copy his wife.

"Who in the hell would wanna eat something like that?" he gasped. "It's like eating a burning coal!" Tina who had her fork up to her mouth merely reached out with her tongue and licked it before she set it down.

"Mom, can I make peanut butter and jelly?" she asked. Before Olivia could answer, Sha'Niqua rolled her eyes as she got a huge forkful.

"The problem is you two been exposed to too much rape of our African Heritage. You're used to eating what the master fed his slaves so much you forgot how good food from our motherland tastes." Sha'Niqua put the chicken and rice in her mouth, and her eyes went wide as tears began to fill them.

"Would you like some baked chicken?" Olivia asked, already headed for the oven to grab plan B. Sha'Niqua nodded as she spat the chicken into her napkin and took a long drink of her soda. "Tina, still want peanut butter?"

"Goddamn!" she groaned. "That's hot!"

"Which is why I made a backup," Olivia, dishing out the regular chicken. "Ow!" Olivia exclaimed as her hand grazed the side of the pan. She immediately stuck it under cold water as Fin jumped up from the table.

"I got it, Baby Girl," Fin told her taking the spatula from her.

"You sure?" Fin merely gave her a kiss on the forehead as a conformation. She'Niqua clicked her tongue and leaned back in her chair as she tossed a dirty look towards Olivia.

"There be some damn rudeness up in here. Lily white woman just gonna let a black man serve her? Typical cracka' behavior. Oh a brotha ain't doin' nothin' but sittin' down. Hell, a brotha worked all day but he still lazy, right Whitey? This be some straight up bullshit!"

"Don't curse," Olivia scolded, returning to her seat. "I don't allow it."

"Oh why it's gotta be YOUR rules?" She'Niqua barked. "What, you think since you white so you own errthing in this apartment and get to make the rules for errbody? I got news for you, you don't own me! You enslaved me but I have escaped from the den you threw me in! I am a Black Lioness living in the white man's jungle and you the prey, Snow White. You the Goddamn prey..."

"My wife told you not to curse," said Fin sternly as he put the pan of succulent smelling chicken in the center of the table and picked up the rejected Kuku na Nazi dish. "Stop it." She'Niqua rolled her eyes towards the heavens.

"Brotha, you trippin'. Shit, nigga, you ain't gotta let Whitey hold you down like that." There was a loud crash that was Fin slamming down the bown of Kuku na Nazi so hard the bowl cracked. He whipped around to face Sha'Niqua.

"What the fuck did you just call me?" he barked making Tina slink down in her chair. Sha'Niqua narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"You do not FUCKING call me that again, do you understand me?!" he yelled. "That's not a term of goddamn endearment!"

"Okay, you need to settle the hell down," Sha'Niqua told him as she tried to hide her fear. "We stole back that word from people who-."

"You didn't do jack shit! And no one stole it back! That word is still being used by people to make blacks feel like they're lower then fucking dogs! Trust me, it's just as insulting now as it was back then!"

"But I fought-!"

"You didn't fight for shit! You never had to fucking suffer because of the color of your skin or get called that word and having it be used as something far different then what little idiot thugs use it as now! You never got called a 'nigger' or a dog because of who you married so don't fucking sit there and tell me you fought for anything or that you suffered or that you actually know the true goddamn weight of that word!" he finished as he picked up his plate and threw it against a wall making both girls jump while Tina let out a cry of fear. His eyes were wide and wild with anger. Olivia had seen this from him, on very rare occasions, but the last time Tina bore witness to the full weight of her father's wrath, she was only two-years-old.

"Fin," said Olivia gently as she stood up from the chair and stood in front of him. "Baby, you gotta calm down," she said gently, placing her hands on his chest. "Come on, Baby, calm down, ok?" "No, Liv, I will NOT calm down as long as that…that…sort of talk is being uttered in MY house," he screamed, and it was only Olivia's body physically standing between Fin and Sha'niqua that was preventing him from taking a swing at the teenager in front of him.

"I know. I will handle it. Take a walk, ok?" Olivia said, in a calm, even tone.

"Liv, she doesn't-!"

"I know, Baby, I know. Just cool your head and take a walk alright?" she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. "Take a walk, Baby." Fin looked past Olivia and gave She'Niqua the harshest look he could manage as She'Niqua sank down in seat and swallowed any retort she wanted to throw at him. Without another word Fin pulled away from Olivia, stormed out of the apartment, and slammed the door behind him.

Olivia closed her eyes and sighed as she ran her hand over her temple.

"Se'Niqua, go get your things. It's time for you to go home."

"Ye- yeah," She'Niqua told Olivia. After a moment Olivia looked up from the floor and sniffed. Olivia knew she was being rude but right now she didn't care. She didn't want to chance Fin seeing her when he returned. She'Niqua rolled her eyes, muttered something about rudeness and got up from the table and retreated into Tina's room.

"Mom," said Tina as her voice cracked with tears. "What the hell was that about?"

"Nothing," Olivia lied. "Just forget it."

"My dad just yelled and screamed at my friend because she called him-."

"I don't want to hear it, Tina," said Olivia sternly. "He has issues with that word and any variation of it, and rightly so! If you knew…" Olivia stopped short. As angry as she was, this was neither the time nor place to get into that debate. The fact was that Tina didn't know, and if Olivia could help it, she never would.

"If I knew what?" Tina asked.

"Nothing, Tina. Forget it," Olivia answered.

"I never saw him that mad before," she sniffed. Olivia sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I know but just... just forget it. For me, please?" Tina nodded but didn't say anything else as She'Niqua reappeared in the kitchen with her shoes on and her bag slung over her shoulder.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Tee."

"Want me to walk you down?" She'Niqua shook her head.

"I'm fine. See ya, Tee." Tina offered her a weak wave goodbye.

"Bye." The two girls gave each other a quick grin before She'Niqua turned and left the apartment.

The moment the door was shut behind her.

"You are not to see her again, do you understand me?" Olivia said sternly, pointing a finger at Tina for emphasis.

"Mom, are you kidding me?" Tina cried. "She's my friend!"

"As much tolerance as I have, I can only stomach hearing how I am personally responsible for slavery so many times before it starts to get on my nerves," Olivia told Tina. "Plus she insulted your father and that is not something I'm going to tolerate."

"She's just a little... eccentric!"

"She's loud, rude, obnoxious, and she's more racist than almost anyone I've ever met."

"She's black. Black people can't be racist!" Tina retorted.

"Where on earth did you hear that?" Olivia asked.

"Sha'Niqua," Tina mumbled. Olivia rolled her eyes again.

"Tina, listen to me. It doesn't matter what color you are. Hating anyone or passing judgement on them solely because of skin color is racism, and I assure you, black people are just as capable of it as white people are," Olivia explained. "Sha'Niqua doesn't like me because I'm white. How do you suppose she really feels about you, considering you're half white?" Tina said nothing. She knew it wasn't worth it to argue once Olivia had made up her mind. Olivia sighed. "Don't bring her around here again, understand?"

"Yeah, Mom. I got it," Tina said glumly, pushing past Olivia and heading to her room.

"Come out here and get your dinner," Olivia told her. "You can sulk in your room and have an attitude while you eat but you have to eat." There was a long moment of silence before her door was wrenched open and Tina stormed back into the kitchen, grabbed a clean plate from the cupboard, put some salad, rice, and some of Olivia's baked chicken on it. She made sure to grab her soda before she stormed back into her room, once again slamming it shut.

_**Hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter. **____** Sha'Niqua was just too fun to interrupt. What did you think of her? She's a piece of work, isn't she? **_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Let's take a minute to talk about Sha'Niqua, shall we? From the reviews, I think it's warranted. Some of you missed the point of the character. First of all, let me say that she's a composite of real people that Bellatrix wannabe89 and I have run into in our travels. So, those of you who claim that she's "unresearched" and "misinformed," well, that's how she was supposed to come off. She's from an affluent family raised in a predominately white community (remember Tina said she moved here 3 months ago?), which you would have found out later, and she's never had any REAL study of Africa or African culture. The problem is that many times people take up causes (not just racial causes) that they know nothing about. There were some subtle hints as well to indicate that she was a wannabe from the type of clothes she was wearing down to Fin trying to explain reality to her.**_

_**There are several purposes to her character, the most obvious is that someone was needed to piss Fin off. The other is that, hey guess what, folks…there ARE people out there making those sorts of comments without knowing what they're actually talking about. And I find it particularly interesting that Adam and Joseph kidnapped and raped Olivia because she married a black man and Victoria Black aborted babies of interracial couples, yet, who did the readers absolutely berate? The 17-year-old black girl who shoots her mouth off. Interesting. So, white racists are ok, but black racists are not?**_

_**In case this wasn't blatantly obvious from **_**Skin Deep**_**, this story is about racism. There will be racist characters (black AND white…remember Tianna? We've done this before!) who use offensive language. Don't like, don't read…it's that simple. Were you supposed to like Sha'Niqua? Nope. But clearly her character was taken WAY too seriously.**_

_**Oh, and on another note, racism is the correct term, not bigotry. Mirriam Webster defines racism as 1.**__** a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race or 2. racial prejudice or discrimination. Pick one. They both apply to Sha'Niqua.**_

_***steps off soapbox**__*****_

**Chapter 8**

Olivia clicked through the channels on the television, not really paying attention to anything that was on. She had already cleaned the kitchen until it sparkled, including making sure the broken bowl and plate shards were carefully swept up and disposed of. Fin had been gone for nearly two hours, and Tina was still sulking in her room. Olivia knew she was going to have to get Tina's dishes as well, but for the time being, it was best to let her daughter be. She needed something to do with her hands to calm her own nerves, but at the moment, she settled for repeatedly mashing the buttons on the remote control. Finally, she heard the telltale sound of the key in the door.

"Olivia," Fin bellowed. Olivia immediately flicked off the TV and rose off the couch, but what she saw in him did little to calm her anxiety. His eyes were focused on her, but they were wild, almost predatory. "Where's Tina?" he asked, more softly.

"She's still in her room. Wh…" she answered but was immediately silenced as she felt his powerful arms wrap around her and bring her into a searing kiss. His tongue probed her lips, asking for entrance. When she parted them slightly, he immediately pushed passed the barrier to her mouth, seeking her tongue, battling her for dominance.

She had seen this before. Following the Harris trial, years ago, after the defense had done everything they could to dirty up both her and Fin, his anger could only be quashed by one thing – her. Of course, that was before the Colin brothers had ever stepped into their lives. She had enjoyed the predatory side of him, letting him claim her, and make her his own. But now…now she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Bedroom," he said, twisting her away from him and steering her towards the master bedroom. She swallowed hard and let her feet carry her to the next room. She trusted him, implicitly, and she knew he would never hurt her, but she couldn't completely suppress the sense of fear threatening to explode within her.

He needed her like a man in a desert craved water. He had spent two hours walking all over the neighborhood, trying to vent the anger and frustration he felt. It was bad enough that his own mother hadn't liked Olivia because she was white, but some punk teenaged kid? He hated that kid, but he trusted Olivia to convey that opinion to Tina. He was way too angry to be sensible with Tina right now.

He wanted his wife. He didn't want to hurt her, but he wanted to make damn sure both she and the rest of the world knew that she was _his_ wife, that a white woman had _chosen_ to marry a black man because she really, truly loved him. He wanted to feel her skin on his, mark her neck with his lips, and feel her rake her nails over his back as he thrust into her unrelentingly, driving her up into a state of total and complete bliss.

As soon as they crossed the threshold of the bedroom, he threw the door closed, flicking the lock in case Tina started wandering around, and pushed Olivia against the wall. He felt her leg wrap around his hip, and his hand immediately went for her ass, caressing and kneading it through her jeans. He pulled her towards him, pressing his semi-erect dick against her. His other hand twisted in her hair, and he yanked, twisting her head to expose her neck to him. He immediately attacked the spot on her neck that drove her crazy with desire, sucking hard, marking her. He heard her moan, but there was something about it that was off. It was hesitant, almost scared. He pulled back, expecting to see the same lust in her eyes that he felt, but what he saw made him immediately pull his hands off her and step back.

She was terrified.

Her eyes glistened with wetness, and they were wide with shock. She was breathing heavily, but not from the intensity of their passion, and she was trembling. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down.

"I…I'm sorry, Baby," he stammered. He wanted to curl up in a corner and die. It had been a long time since he had done anything to spook her quite like this, but every time it had happened, it hit him hard. He expected her to flee, and he wouldn't have blamed her if she did. And yet, almost as if she could read his mind, she didn't. Instead, she stepped closer to him, running her hands over his chest, settling them lazily behind his neck and pressing her forehead to his.

"I know," she whispered. "You can take what you need from me, but gently."

"I don't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you," he said, letting his arms slip around her waist.

"You won't," she said, tilting her head to capture his lips with hers. He didn't return her kisses immediately because he was afraid of losing control with her again. "Fin…" she moaned as she continued to kiss him. "Love me, Fin."

He kissed her hesitantly, but he still wasn't sure about this. His hands were firmly planted on her waist, and as badly as he wanted to screw her silly, he had been sharply reminded that the woman in his arms was still fighting demons from fifteen years ago.

Olivia left his lips, tracing his jawline to his neck. "Fin, please," she whispered. He maneuvered them over to the bed, dragging her shirt off as he went and flinging it across the room. He laid her back, and kissed her breasts through her lace bra, listening to her contented moaning.

"That's it, Baby. Take what you need…ohhhh…" she moaned, coaxing him on. He reached around her, fumbled with the clasp, and pulled her bra off of her, moving his lips just long enough to pull the fabric free. She reached behind him and dragged his shirt over him, baring him from the waist up. The longer his lips teased at her sensitive skin, the wetter she got.

"Easy, Baby, easy," Olivia said when he started scraping her skin with his teeth. Fin was getting frustrated with her. He needed more intensity, and she just didn't want to go there. He sat up, straddling her and ran his hands over the exposed skin on her top half, settling his hands at her jeans. Her hands went right between his legs, rubbing him through his own pants. He worked the clasp with a smirk on his face. He loved this position, pinning her, hovering over her. She was underneath him, and she had absolutely no intention of moving. The only thing better would be having her bent over…well, any surface, so he could have a view of her absolutely perfect ass.

He dragged her pants and panties off her, pausing to remove his own lower garments. The instant her hand had touched him, he stiffened to the point where his need was painful. But this wasn't how he wanted her. He rolled her onto her side, curling his own form behind her and kissing behind her ear.

"Fin…what are you…what are you doing?" she panted. He ran his hand down her leg to the back of her knee, then pushed, bending her top leg forward. He lined his dick up at her entrance, and was just about to push.

"No, Fin…please…not like this, Fin. Please…" she panted. She didn't like not being able to see him. At least, not when he was already pushing the limits. She needed to see his eyes to be sure he was in control of his own action. "Fin…stop."

Fin rolled over onto his back, letting her go immediately. He sighed, irritated at the whole mess. He just wanted things to be like they used to be, even if it was only for one night. He was ok with her soft and slow style, most of the time, but then there were nights like this.

"I just can't seem to get this right tonight, Baby Girl," he said, thoroughly disgusted with both himself and the situation. Olivia rolled over and saw the frustration on his face. She hadn't wanted to stop, just change positions. Wordlessly she straddled him.

"You feel that, Baby?" she asked, rubbing her wetness over his stomach. "That's what you do to me. You're the only one I've ever gotten that wet for." His dick twitched at her words. Yes, he wanted her, and yes, it absolutely turned him on that she was practically gushing for only him, but he didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. She leaned forward to kiss him, and she finally felt him put his hands in her hair, tentatively, but at least he was responding.

"Mmmmm…." she moaned, lifting her lower half and positioning her entrance over his throbbing erection. He groaned as he felt her envelop the tip and start to work herself onto him.

"Olivia…" he moaned. "That's good, Baby. Oh, that's so good…" He thrust up into her, and his hands started a path down to her hip. When he felt her settle against his pubic bone, she sat up, grinding him before she lifted herself almost all the way out, and settled back down again. Gradually, she picked up her speed, throwing her head back as her G-spot was repeatedly stroked. His hand found her clit, and he rubbed it in the same pattern that always brought her off.

But this isn't what he wanted. He didn't want her on top of him, as much as he was enjoying the view. He squeezed her hips, rolling her onto her back again. She spread her legs wider, giving him total access. He drove into her repeatedly, rocking the bed in his intensity. Olivia's moans were incoherent strings of words. He was ruthless now, driving into her with all the force he had. Her eyes closed as she felt herself being pushed higher and higher.

"No," he barked at her. "Open your eyes. I want to see your face when you cum under me." Olivia did her best to comply with him, managing to keep her eyes half open. He pushed her higher and higher, finding her clit again.

"Fin…" she moaned. "Oh God, Fin…"

"Come on, Baby, come on…let go for me. Let go…" he said, trying to coax her.

"Fin…Mmm…Fin…So close…Fin…" she panted.

"I got you, Baby. I got you…" he said, keeping on the intensity.

"Fin…Mmm…Fin…Ohhhhhhh…." she moaned as every muscle tightened and she jerked underneath him, arching her back towards him. He eased her through her orgasm, thrusting softly through the aftershocks. Even after all these years, the sight of her cumming was still the most erotic scene he could picture. When she recovered, he picked up his pace again, thrusting hard into her, making her feel every inch of every stroke.

"Yeah, that's it, Baby…give it to me…give it to me…" Liv said, egging him on. "Fuck me hard, Baby." He was so close.

"Oh, don't worry, Baby Girl, you're gonna get it," he said. He thrust hard a few more times before grunting. He shot into her, finally achieving the release he had needed so desperately all evening.

When he was sure there was nothing left, he rolled off her as she shifted to rest her head on his chest. She started to lazily trace the outline of his tattoo with her index finger, and she read each one of the names as she traced. When she got to the wings around Taylor, Jordan, and John's names, she couldn't help but remember the way their life had been just after she had married Fin.

"Are you happy with what we have? With…me?" she asked, almost hesitantly. She felt his arm squeeze her a little tighter.

"What are you talking about, Baby?" he asked.

"Well, I mean, we used to be the adventurous, fun couple. And now, we're…not," she said. Fin furrowed his brow. He couldn't figure out what she was talking about or where this was coming from, but he couldn't tell her that.

"Sweetheart, I love you more than anything in the world, and I promised you that I would spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, and that's what I'm going to do," he said.

"Yeah, but…when we came in here, be honest. You wanted something different from what I was willing to give you," she said. No, he didn't want her to do this to herself.

"Olivia, listen to me. I love _you,_ ok? _You._ When I thought I had lost you fifteen years ago…Baby, that was so much harder than you can possibly understand. Whatever we have is fine with me," he said, trying to reassure her.

"So, there's absolutely nothing you miss about our old sex life?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Liar," she said, grinning into his chest.

"Ok, fine. Our sex life has been reduced to basically two positions, only when you're in the mood. But, I know what you've been through and why we have two positions. I care too much about you to start a major battle over what happens in our bedroom," he said.

"So you're bored?" she asked.

"I didn't…Liv, come on…" he stammered.

"It's ok, Fin. We're boring," she admitted. Fin sighed.

"So, what do you want to do about it?" he asked. Olivia propped herself up on her elbow so she could look into his face.

"I don't know. Tell me what you miss," she said. Fin's mind traveled back nearly twenty years, and he couldn't help but smile at the memories. Back in the days when she was insatiable and up for anything, he would have had exactly what he wanted.

"I miss being able to have you six ways from Sunday before breakfast, listening to you beg for me to make you feel good," he confessed. Olivia nodded, remembering how they could spend an entire day in bed…or on the sofa or kitchen table or wall, for that matter.

"So you want me to beg. Anything else?" she asked.

"I don't know. Is there anything you miss?" he asked.

"Not really, but you're right. We've gotten boring," she said.

"And, since we're talking about it, you know I've always wanted to, uh, play with your back door, but you said no to that almost twenty years ago, so it's cool," he said. Olivia laughed slightly.

"You still want that?" she asked.

"Baby, I love your ass. And yes, I've always wondered what my dick would feel like in there, but if it never happens, it's ok," he said.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, but I think we need to do something about this little problem," she said. Fin considered her words carefully. It wasn't often that she introduced anything new into their bedroom routine, but on the rare occasion she gave him permission, he never let her down. Already, his mind was reeling with ideas.

"Ok. We can try something new," he said with a smirk.

"What are you planning?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. Olivia hesitated.

"Well, you used to be a fan of…keeping me still," she said cautiously. Fin laughed slightly.

"No, nothing like that. I promise, you'll like it," he said.

"Well, it that case, I suppose so," she answered.

"Ok, then. Can we get some sleep?" he asked.

"Don't I even get a hint?" she asked, ignoring his question. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep," he repeated. He slipped out from under the covers to pull on a pair of sweatpants and moved the body pillow into its normal spot on the bed. Meanwhile, Olivia just watched him in a slight state of shock. He didn't keep secrets from her anymore, nor did he surprise her with anything in bed. And even as he rolled over, intent on going to sleep, she couldn't help but be a little nervous.

XxXxX

Fin was already awake and out the door when Olivia woke up the next morning. She dragged Tina out of bed, made sure she was dressed and had a proper breakfast in her hands as she raced out the door to school. She still had one more day before she headed back to work herself, so she figured she should probably catch up on some household chores. By mid-day, she had finished laundry for both herself and Fin and started on Tina's.

Olivia spilled the contents of her daughter's hamper into the washing machine, cursing at the sweater and jeans that defied her authority and fell to the floor. As she scooped up the wayward items, she heard an assortment of coins clatter on the cement floor as they were freed from the confines of Tina's pockets. She bent down, cursing Tina under her breath for not emptying her pockets before putting her clothes in the hamper, and she noticed that something else had also fallen out of Tina's pocket. It was a square, foil package, which was unmistakably a condom.

Olivia's jaw hung open. Tina was too young; she was only seventeen…ok, maybe she wasn't too young. Olivia herself had lost her virginity at sixteen. But Tina hadn't been dating Eli for very long…ok, a summer is forever in teenage years. And as Olivia ran through this logic, she realized that her little girl was slowly morphing into a woman right in front of her eyes, and probably more terrifying for Olivia, sex was very much on Tina's mind.

Because both Fin and Olivia worked Special Victims, Tina had known about sex from the moment she started asking questions. Olivia and Fin always gave her age appropriate answers, but they never tried to hide anything from her. Olivia thought she had convinced Tina that the smartest thing to do would be to wait until she was married, but if she wasn't convincing enough, she figured Fin would have no problem scaring away would-be suitors before they had a chance to reach that level of intimacy with Tina.

XxXxX

While Olivia busied herself with her family's laundry in Manhattan, roughly half an hour away, Joseph Colin was escorted to the visitors' lounge once again.

"They told me you'd be back," he said, once he saw the who was here to see him.

"Well, I know how the Aryans operate. You're all so suspicious of anyone not white, but I'm assuming you've heard about my reputation by now," Omar told him.

"Yeah. They told me you weren't bad, for a Spic," Joseph answered.

"So, do you want my help or not? I managed to get myself out of that cage, and I can help you, too," Omar said. Joseph sighed.

"You know, it makes me absolutely sick to my stomach to deal with anyone who isn't white, but I think I can make an exception in this case," Joseph answered. Omar let out a breath of relief. He had his own reasons for wanting to help Joseph out. Omar wasn't a violent or malicious guy by any stretch of the imagination, but if he could unleash a rabid dog hellbent on seeking revenge on Olivia Benson, well, so be it. Omar would get the revenge he so desperately wanted without the messiness of committing the felony himself.

XxXxX

_Symbolism in _Oedipus _by Sophocles. Tina Tutuola._ Later that evening, Tina sat with her back propped up against her headboard, staring at the flashing cursor on her laptop screen, wishing that this particular paper would write itself. She picked up the paperback copy of the play lying next to her and flipped through it again. English may have been her favorite class, and the easiest one by far, but this particular paper was giving her fits. She hadn't liked the play, and as such, she wasn't feeling a particularly strong desire to write about it. Fortunately, she was interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!" she yelled, over the radio blaring in the background. Olivia entered and closed the door behind her.

"Tina…I…" she began, but quickly realized she wasn't going to be able to hear herself think over the latest pop music assaulting her ears. "Will you turn that off for a minute?" Tina obediently reached over and flipped the radio off.

"What's up?" she asked when the room was silent again. Olivia sat on the foot of the bed, and the look on her face spoke volumes. Tina put her laptop to the side and sat up a little straighter. "Mom, what's going on?" Then her attitude changed to one of annoyance and dread. "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing," Olivia said quickly. "We just need to talk. You and Eli have been dating for a while now, right?"

"Yeah…" Tina said guardedly. She wasn't quite sure where this was headed.

"It's been, what, a few months now, right?" Olivia asked.

"Four months next week, but you already knew that. Mom, where is this going?" Tina asked.

"I just...are you two having sex?" Olivia blurted out.

"Mom!" Tina yelled, cutting her off. She climbed off the bed and headed for the door, but she was cut off by Olivia.

"Tina, I'm serious. Sex is a big deal," she began again, trying to maintain a calm tone.

"I am NOT having this conversation with you," Tina said, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest.

"You need to make sure that, when you decide to have sex, that it's with the right person, who loves you for who you are. It should be amazing and wonderful and special, and it will be if you wait until…" Olivia said.

"Oh my God, Mom!" Tina blurted out.

"I found a condom in your laundry," Olivia said. "Girls who aren't at least thinking about sex don't usually carry those."

"So you found a condom. It was still in a sealed wrapper, wasn't it? Don't you think if I had had sex it would have been…I don't know…opened?" Tina asked. This was one of those times she despised being the daughter of two cops. They never discussed anything; it was always an interrogation.

"Just because that particular one was still in the wrapper doesn't prove anything!" Olivia took a deep breath. She hadn't meant to yell at Tina. "I'm sorry. I didn't come in here to yell at you. I just want to make sure that you're ok."

"I'm fine, Mom," Tina said, sitting back on her bed and picking up her laptop again. "Really," she added for emphasis.

"He's not pressuring you, is he?" Olivia asked, sitting on the foot of Tina's bed again.

"No. He wouldn't do that, and I really don't want to go into the details of my love life with you," Tina said, trying to hide in her English paper, which she suddenly was very eager to write.

"Well, fine, then I'll just say this and I'm done, I promise. If you get into something you can't handle, no matter what it is, you can come to your father or me about it, ok?" Olivia said.

"Ok, Mom," Tina said, keeping her attention on her screen. Olivia reached over and shut the computer to face her daughter eye to eye.

"I'm serious," she said.

"I know," Tina said, annoyed that her mother just wouldn't leave her alone. "Mom, really, I have a lot of work to do." Tina flipped the radio back on, opened her computer, and dove back into her homework. Olivia patted Tina's outstretched leg and headed out, pausing at the doorway. As she looked at Tina, she realized that the little girl she had always known had grown into a strikingly beautiful woman. And that scared the hell out of her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Somewhere around 1:00 in the morning, Olivia received a phone call from Cragen asking if she would mind coming back a few hours earlier than anticipated. He had an urgent case at Madison Square Garden, and he wanted her specifically to handle it, though he wouldn't say why exactly, and Olivia had been too groggy to ask. She knew that there had been some sort of major concert taking place the night before, and she figured some fan, lingering around for an autograph had gotten far more than she bargained for. Dragging herself out of bed, she showered in record speed, pulled on a pair of black pants, white tank top, and dark green button down top. She tip toed across the room to pull her gun from the small safe in her nightstand, clipped it to her hip, and added her badge just in front of it. She debated waking Fin to tell him about the call, but he was wrapped around the body pillow in the center of the bed, snoring softly, and she didn't have the heart to wake him, so she settled for leaving a note. By the time she headed down to the front of the building, Nick Amaro had already managed to run to the car pool and pick up their usual brown sedan and was waiting for her to jump in the passenger's seat.

"Hey," she said as she buckled her seat belt.

"Hi, Liv. Coffee's in the cup holder," he told her. She looked down at the center console and noticed two steaming cups already there. She took the one closest to her and inhaled the blissful scent, closing her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, taking a cautious sip.

"How's Tina?" he asked as they made their way downtown to the arena.

"She's fine. Insulin adjustment, which happens practically every year around this time. She goes back to school and swimming and her social life, and her body just can't keep up with her," Olivia said.

"Well, I'm glad she's feeling better," he said. There was a comfortable silence in the car that Amaro broke after a few minutes.

"Did the Captain give you any information about this case?" he asked.

"Not really. Just MSG and we'd find out more there. My guess is some fan didn't clear out with the crowd, probably hanging around in hopes of scoring an autograph or a handshake, and wound up blitz attacked," she speculated.

"Fan? The Knicks aren't playing tonight," Amaro replied. Olivia scoffed.

"Not the Knicks. There was a big concert there tonight, some pop star or something. All I know is that Tina begged me to get her tickets for weeks, but as soon as she found out none of her friends were going and tickets were sold out, she completely forgot about it," Olivia said. In front of her, she saw the flickering of a sea of red and blue emergency lights. "Whoa. That's a lot of radio cars for a rape victim," she observed.

"Well, we're about to find out what all the fuss is about," Nick said, pulling the car in with the rest of emergency vehicles. They dodged several vehicles, making their way to the closest entrance to the arena, finally finding a couple of uniformed officers guarding the door. Olivia held up her badge, and Nick followed suit.

"Detectives Benson and Amaro, SVU," she said with authority. The cop nodded and reached for his radio.

"Connors to Whitman. SVU is on scene," he said. They waited for a few seconds before they heard the radio crackle to life again.

"_Copy that Connors. Send them in."_ The cop held the door open as the two detectives walked inside. Olivia eyed Amaro.

"That's odd. They don't usually lock the whole place down," she said.

"You've been here before? On a case?" Amaro asked.

"A few times," she said. The conversation was quickly halted by the sight of another uniformed cop practically jogging towards them.

"SVU?" he asked.

"Benson and Amaro," Olivia repeated, displaying her shield again. The cop, who she presumed was Officer Whitman, nodded.

"Follow me," he said. "I'll take you backstage."

"Care to tell us what happened?" Amaro asked. He looked at them in shock.

"No one's told you?" he asked in disbelief.

"No," Amaro answered.

"The show ended around midnight. Around 12:45, we got a report of a rape here. We all assumed it was a fan or something, but when we got here, we found out our victim was Sweet Pea herself, so we locked the entire building down. Unfortunately, most of the crowd had already vanished by then, but everyone who's left is in the main arena. Mostly crew and Sweet Pea's people, with the exception of those backstage with her," he explained. The minute the officer mentioned the name "Sweet Pea," both Olivia and Nick knew immediately who she was.

Sweet Pea had spent the last several years building herself up as one of the most notable pop singers of the decade. The daughter of two actors, she had done everything she could to separate herself from her parents' shadow. Her mother was the more famous of the pair. Actress Siobhan McConnell, authentic red-headed Irish bombshell, got her big break on a cop show called _Boston's Finest_, which lasted ten seasons before it was cancelled. Although, during the run of the show, she had given birth to three daughters and earned as many Emmy awards. She had then taken some time to host a reality show, but rumor had it that she hated spending so much time on the road. So, a few years later, she landed a highly coveted role on a dramedy called _Nobody's Perfect_, currently in an unbelievable thirteenth season for the genre, proving she had both comedic and dramatic talent. The media was calling her "Queen Midas" because everything she touched seemed to turn to gold. Her characters on both shows were wholesome, law-abinding, upstanding types – first a detective who fought for justice and then a TV mom who everyone secretly wished was their own mother.

During the second season of _Nobody's Perfect,_ Siobhan's character had been featured in a particularly heart-wrenching storyline where she was raped. The show handled it in a raw, powerful way, with just the right amount of comedy to keep the audience interested. But through a combination of fan mail and her own research for the role, Siobhan had stumbled onto many of the challenges sex crimes survivors faced on a daily basis. Unable to sit back, Siobhan became the face of justice for rape victims, and spent most of her off screen time working on awareness campaigns, organizing letter writing campaigns to lawmakers, and speaking at rallies. Olivia herself had seen her at a rally to eliminate the statute of limitations in New York City a few years earlier.

Sweet Pea's father, David Shillington, was more of a Broadway actor, appearing in several family-friendly musicals, but once his wife delivered Baby Number Three, he cut back on his stage time in order to raise his children. They still had nannies and a house staff, but he was the primary caretaker when the girls were younger. As for which of the three daughters Sweet Pea was, Olivia couldn't remember, but she knew the image. Sweet Pea's costumes were couture, but left little to the imagination, and the way she sang so openly about topics that were considered taboo by most artists had more than one parent on edge. However, Olivia allowed Tina to listen to her music, so long as it wasn't repeated back to her in any serious manner.

"How did the perp get through security?" Olivia asked as they reached the main stage door.

"We're still working on that one, Detective. I'm afraid we don't have many answers yet," he said. They passed a series of doors, finally stopping at one.

"…_one reason why I shouldn't fire you and make sure you never work the A list again!?" _they heard screamed through the door.

"She's a little upset," he said, knocking on the door.

"_What!?" _a distinctively female voice yelled through the door.

"Ma'am, it's Officer Whitman, I have two detectives from the Special Victims Unit with me," he said calmly. A moment passed, enough time for someone to take a deep breath before the door opened. Standing in front of them was a girl who appeared to be in her mid-twenties with mousy brown hair and wire rimmed glasses. She was a little shorter than Olivia, but had a similar build.

"Hi. I'm Audrey, Sweet Pea's assistant," she said when she saw the badges. "She's in here." At that moment, a tall, burly man sporting a black T-shirt with the work "security" in bright capital white letters across the back took that very opportunity to slip out. Nick and Olivia didn't bother to stop him, as he wouldn't get far with the arena still on lockdown, and after the tail end of the tongue lashing they had heard, they couldn't blame the poor guy for wanting to leave as soon as possible.

The room was big enough to hold a make up and hair station, four racks of clothing, plus a sofa, two plush armchairs, and accent tables. A buffet along the side wall, opposite the line of clothes, held a deli platter, a veggie platter, cheese and crackers, and an assortment of M&Ms and gummi candies. At the very end was a small refrigerator with a glass front that held what appeared to be a few cases of Diet Coke. The food was undisturbed, but the make up station appeared to have been cleared. Several bottles were in a heap on the ground to the left side. Some of them had broken, and there was a puddle of flesh tone, pink, black, and purple goo at the base of the table. Olivia also observed a small handprint on the otherwise clean mirror. Standing in the center of the room was a girl who couldn't have been older than Tina, barely five feet tall and a hundred pounds soaking wet, with mussed blonde hair and smudged stage make up, in a pink Juicy Couture track suit, sporting a definite scowl. She sized up the two detectives in front of her and retreated into the room, which had obviously had a complete makeover for the one-night special performance. Sweet Pea retreated into the room and curled into a corner of the sofa.

As it was customary for only one detective to interview the victim, Nick pulled Audrey aside to interview her elsewhere while Olivia talked to the young singer.

"Hi, Sweet Pea," she said, approaching the young woman in as non-threatening of a manner as she could. She sat down in one of the plush armchairs closest to her victim, and noticed almost immediately that Sweet Pea flinched.

"It's ok," Olivia began. "We're just going to talk." She waited a minute for Sweet Pea to calm down while she pulled out a notepad and pen from her pocket, and then she spoke again. "Can you tell me what happened tonight?" The girl turned her head and glared at the detective with ice blue eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? I was raped. In my own damn dressing room," she spat. Olivia took a deep breath. Most of her victims were terrified and clung to her like a lifeline, but then there were the angry ones. Sweet Pea was clearly one of the latter.

"I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but right now, I need you to talk to me so I can catch the guy that did this to you," Olivia said. Sweet Pea's eyes scanned Olivia, trying to read the detective. Her eyes settled on Olivia's badge clipped to her hip.

"NYPD? I thought we were still in Boston," she mused. Olivia furrowed her brow.

"I'm sorry?" she asked. Sweet Pea sighed.

"I've been on this whirlwind tour. Thirty cities in sixty days, starting in L.A. and ending in New York. I was supposed to meet my sister in the Hamptons this weekend. Hell of a way to end. Oh, the media is going to have an absolute field day with this," she explained.

"We'll do what we can to keep your name out of the press, but let's not worry about this just yet. Have you seen a doctor yet?" Olivia tried. Sweet Pea scoffed.

"I'm not going to a hospital. Tell me what you need, and I'll have my own physician meet us at my townhouse," Sweet Pea countered. Olivia pursed her lips. She had seen her share of VIPs, but she never had one refuse to go to the hospital. Demand special treatment? Use a pseudonym? Have hospital personnel sign confidentiality agreements? Sure, but never a request like this.

"I think a hospital would be best. How about Mt. Sinai? They have the best VIP suites in the city," she offered. Sweet Pea sighed.

"That still doesn't mean some nurse or orderly isn't going to get ahold of my chart and yell to the world that I'm a patient. No, no hospitals. I can't risk it," Sweet Pea insisted. Olivia studied her carefully. Standard procedure was to take the victim to the emergency room. Yes, there were allowances for VIPs, but she had never heard of a rape kit being done as a house call. "Please," Sweet Pea begged again.

"We'll go to Mt. Sinai, ok? I know people there that owe me a few favors. We can bypass the emergency room entirely and get you directly into a room. We can minimize the staff, and I will be with you every second," Olivia promised. She could see Sweet Pea start to panic. "It'll be ok. I promise," she added gently, reaching out to take Sweet Pea's hand.

"Ok," she replied softly. "But I need to get out of here somehow, and there are a zillion reporters outside," Sweet Pea mentioned. Olivia nodded, having already considered this.

"I'll have my partner bring our car through the delivery doors. We'll never even have to step outside," Olivia offered. Sweet Pea nodded, but said nothing more. Instead, she got up and opened the small closet in the room, but she didn't immediately pull anything out. She seemed to be staring into it, almost as if the task in front of her was impossible. "Is there anyone I can call for you?" Sweet Pea shook her head hesitantly, but Olivia noticed the lone tear that made its way down her cheek.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, standing almost immediately behind Sweet Pea, and there was something about her tone that caused the carefully constructed and maintained façade on the powerful performer to break.

"I want my mom!" she wailed, turning her body and practically collapsing into Olivia.

"Ok, ok, I can call her for you. Shhhh…" Olivia soothed, wrapping the singer in her arms and stroking her hair softly as if she were her own daughter.

"You…you can't call her. My…my mom won't answer calls from anyone she…she doesn't know," Sweet Pea said. It made sense. Simply because every photographer and reporter in the country was interested in following their every move, their phone numbers would be as private as they could be. Sweet Pea composed herself and pulled a Louis Vuitton shoulder bag from the closet. She fished inside and handed Olivia her own cell phone.

"I don't know what to tell her," Sweet Pea confessed. Olivia nodded in understanding.

"Ok, let's get you over to the hospital, and I'll call her and explain everything," Olivia said. Sweet Pea made no move to take the phone back, so Olivia slipped the device in her pocket. She watched Sweet Pea wrap herself in a Burberry trench coat, stuff her blonde hair under an exquisite fedora hat, and slip on a pair of Gucci sunglasses. Satisfied that her image was obscured enough that she would be unrecognizable from the back seat of a car, Olivia led her through the maze of corridors to the loading area where Nick was waiting with the car. He opened the door and Sweet Pea slid into the back seat, trying to keep her face hidden as much as possible.

"She agreed to go to Mt. Sinai. We'll call on the way and let them know we need to admit a VIP immediately," she explained to Nick.

_**So it looks like Olivia landed herself a juicy little case. VIP treatment, celebrity confidentiality, protecting victim identity…this one could be fun. **____** What do you all think?**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

With nothing more than a phone call, Olivia had managed to have Sweet Pea taken directly to a room, admitted under the name Sarah Murphy. Other than the fact that the bed, though covered in high end linens, had a definite hospital quality to it, everything about the room screamed posh hotel suite instead of bleak hospital room. The floor to ceiling windows provided an exquisite view of Central Park, and the size of the room was such that Olivia was sure her entire apartment could fit in this one room. Even the bathroom was equipped with a marble garden tub with Jacuzzi settings from barely rippling to full on water massage. Not that Sweet Pea could take advantage of any of the luxuries; she was here for a rape kit, and then she had made it abundantly clear in the car that she wanted to go home.

Nick offered to sit with Sweet Pea while Olivia made the call to her mother. She didn't want to say anything to trigger any sort of emotional outburst, so she slipped into a private space in the hospital. She pulled out Sweet Pea's cell phone, scrolled through her contacts, selecting the one marked "Mom."

"Jenna, Love, we have a night shoot tonight. I'm on my way off the set. Call you in five? Thanks," Siobhan McConnell said with a slight Celtic lilt before Olivia could get a word in edgewise. There was a definitive click indicating that the woman on the other end of the line had ended the call. _Ok,_ Olivia thought, slipping back into Jenna's room.

"Did you reach her?" Sweet Pea asked anxiously.

"Uh, she picked up, but she said she had a night shoot, and she was on her way off the set," Olivia explained. Sweet Pea smiled sadly.

"She'll call back. She's probably on location, and they're walking her back to her trailer. She'll call after she signs a few autographs," Sweet Pea said. Sure enough, the phone in Olivia's hand started playing "My Girl," and the name "Mom" flashed across the screen.

"Hello?" Olivia answered, stepping out of the room again.

"Hi, Sweet Pea. How was the show?" Siobhan asked.

"Ms. McConnell, I'm Detective Olivia Benson with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit," Olivia explained.

"Where's my daughter? Why…why do you have her phone?" Siobhan asked.

"She asked me to call you. Ms. McConnell, there's no easy way to say this, but your daughter was raped backstage at Madison Square Garden this evening after her show. She's ok, but we're at Mt. Sinai Hospital having her examined just to be sure," Olivia mentioned. There was an awkward silence at the other end of the line.

"I don't know who you are, but if this is some sort of sick joke, then…" Siobhan said.

"It's not a joke," Olivia said, cutting her off. Already she was making a beeline for the room. "Just a minute," she said, coving the microphone with her hand. "Sweet Pea, you need to talk to her. She doesn't believe I'm a real cop." Jenna took the phone slowly.

"Mom, it's me. Listen, just talk to the detective, please," she said practically begged. Before Siobhan could say another word, Sweet Pea thrust the phone back to Olivia.

"…Honey?" she heard through the phone.

"Ms. McConnell, it's Detective Benson again. Your daughter's a little shaken at the moment," Olivia said. She heard the woman on the other end of the line sigh.

"Ok, ok. Tell her I'm on my way," Siobhan said. Olivia gave her Sweet Pea's alias as well as the address of the hospital before returning to Sweet Pea.

"She's on her way," Olivia said softly. Sweet Pea's eyes went wide.

"She's in L.A. It will take her all night to get here, assuming…" Olivia followed Sweet Pea's eyes as they drifted to a clock on the wall. "Forget it. The last red eye has already left LAX." As she sank into the sofa, there was a soft rap on the door by a familiar brunette to Olivia.

"Ms. Murphy? I'm Dr. Stephanie Baker. I understand you're here for a sexual assault exam?" she said. She nodded towards Olivia in recognition, but left it at that.

"Yeah, I guess," Sweet Pea said, burying her face in her hands. Dr. Baker took a seat next to her, careful to keep enough distance between them that Sweet Pea wouldn't feel crowded.

"It's ok, Honey. We'll go as slow as you need to, but you should know that the evidence that can be gathered from this type of exam can often mean the difference between a conviction and an acquittal," Dr. Baker told her, using the same, soft manner she had used with Olivia years before.

"No, I know. Believe me, I _know,_" she said, communicating far more with her eyes than her words. "I just…I can't believe this is happening, you know?" Dr. Baker nodded.

"Most women feel that way in your situation," Dr. Baker said.

"Look, can we just skip the part where you guys try to convince me that this is the right thing to do and go straight to signing the consent form?" Sweet Pea asked, trying not to sounds annoyed by the whole ordeal.

"Sure," Dr. Baker said, handing her a clipboard with the consent form. With the form signed, Amaro left the room discretely, leaving just the women present. In one corner of the room, away from the windows, stood an ornate screen that was just as decorative with its detailed embroidery as functional. Dr. Baker went to a panel on the wall, opening it to reveal a storage cabinet of typical hospital supplies hidden away. She pulled out several large pads, a few paper bags, and a hospital gown.

"I need to have you change out of your clothes over these," she said as she laid out the pads behind the screen. "You're going to put your clothes in the bags, and change into the hospital gown. Then we'll get started."

"What happens to my clothes?" Sweet Pea asked.

"They'll be taken to the crime lab and analyzed for any forensic evidence your attacker may have left behind," Olivia answered.

"But…this isn't what I was wearing when…" Sweet Pea began.

"Where are the clothes you were wearing?" Olivia asked.

"Still in my dressing room. He practically ripped them off me, so I threw this on instead," she answered.

"Ok, we'll collect them, but I still need to take those to the crime lab. Something of his may have been transferred from your body to your clothes. We just never know until we take a look," Olivia explained. Sweet Pea nodded and disappeared behind the screen.

"It's good to see you again, Olivia," Dr. Baker whispered.

"You too," Olivia said with a smile.

An hour later, Audrey, Sweet Pea's assistance and the only person outside her immediate family with access, came into the room with a look of near panic on her face. Dr. Baker was in the process of taking fingernail scrapings and Sweet Pea was describing her attack to Detective Benson.

"Jenna…" she said, sounding almost breathless. "Are you willing to wear a Versace to the Grammys in next year? Oh, sorry to interrupt."

"Versace? Not really my style…why?" Sweet Pea answered.

"Donatella had a meeting with your mom earlier this week to pitch a few gowns for the People's Choice Awards. She was planning to leave for New York in the morning, but she's willing to fly your mom here immediately if you agree to wear one of her designs to the Grammys. Theresa's waiting for an answer," Audrey said quickly. Sweet Pea thought about it. Theresa was her mother's long-time assistant, and if there was a miracle to pull off, she could do it, but Donatella Versace never did anyone any favors without expected payment.

"Why me and not Mom?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Well, your mom will be in Versaces for the next year," Audrey explained.

"Yeah, ok. ONE dress, but not the Grammys. Tell her I'll do the VMAs," Sweet Pea relayed. Audrey nodded and disappeared again. "Where were we?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Backstage, after the show with your crew," Olivia reminded her. The rest of the night was spent with every square inch of Sweet Pea being examined, evidence collection, and Sweet Pea's story. Essentially, someone had broken in, a struggle ensued, and her attacker bent her over her make-up station, raping her from behind. She knew he was white and roughly six feet tall, but that was it. He had gone to great length to cover himself with a mask and gloves, and he had used a condom, or so Sweet Pea believed.

Morning broke as Dr. Baker and Detective Benson were finishing up the hospital portion, and Olivia's phone started to ring.

"Hi, Tina," Olivia said, answering the phone and stepping to the other side of the room to keep the conversation semi-private.

"_Can I go to Eli's tonight after school? I have a HUGE trig test tomorrow, and I have no idea what I'm doing. He said he'd help me study,"_ Tina asked. Olivia thought for a moment. She would most likely be investigating Sweet Pea's case for the rest of the day, and she knew Fin was already at the station by now. Not that either of them were much help when it came to trigonomentry…

"Are his parents going to be there?" Olivia asked.

"_Yes, Mom," _Tina answered, and Olivia could hear the eyeroll in her voice.

"Ok, yes, but I want you home by 9:00, got it? Not 9:30, not 9:10, not 9:01," Olivia said.

"_Thanks, Mom!" _Tina exclaimed.

"And I expect at least a B on that trig test," Olivia told her.

"_Ok, ok. Love you!"_ Tina said.

"Love you, too, Sweetie," Olivia said.

"Your kid?" Sweet Pea asked once Olivia had hung up the phone. Olivia nodded.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"Don't mention it. How old is she?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Seventeen," Olivia answered. Sweet Pea sighed and leaned back into the pillows.

"God, when I was seventeen, my first record went platinum. She wasn't at my show, was she? Because I swear every teenage girl in New York was," Sweet Pea asked.

"We couldn't get tickets," Olivia said, leaving it at that.

"You catch my rapist, and I'll make sure your kid gets the best seats next time I'm in New York," Sweet Pea said. The exam was over, and all of the evidence was tagged and catalogued. Audrey had seen to it that a complete outfit was messengered to the hospital, presumably from Sweet Pea's wardrobe. As she was changing out of the hospital gown, the unmistakable Siobhan McConnall strode into the room.

"Jenna?" she called, practically ignoring Benson.

"Mom!" Jenna squealed, emerging from behind the curtain, dressed in jeans and a chic black designer top with exquisite abstract embroidery. Jenna ran to her mother the same way a child would, and as Siobhan folded her into her arms, her eyes caught Olivia's.

"Thank you for staying with my daughter, Detective," she said.

"Well, we still need to ask her a few more questions, but I'm sure she's exhausted. It can wait until she's had some rest," Olivia said gently. Olivia and Nick personally saw Sweet Pea home. Olivia herself was in no condition to keep working, no matter how hard she tried, and eventually wound up leaving the precinct after filing the absolute minimum paperwork necessary to get the case going. But, before she could collapse into bed, she had one more stop to make first.

Olivia sighed as she rode the elevator up to the top floor. A part of her didn't want to do this. It might cause issues for Tina at school, and if the mother was anything like her daughter, she was sure to hear how Olivia had personally taken a whip to every single black person living in New York City. But on the other hand, she couldn't get the anger and rage that had erupted from Fin out of her mind nor did she want to be told how much of a horrid racist she was just because of the color of her skin. Neither she nor her husband should have to go through listening to the little girl who thought she knew how the world worked but in reality had no idea.

Olivia couldn't let, nor did she want on any accounts, that little punk around her home, her husband, her daughter. It was probably only a matter of time before she started to hate Tina merely because she was half white, and Olivia had to let Sha'Niqua's mother know just how she felt about her daughter and why she wasn't allowed at the house any more.

When she reached the appropriate floor, Olivia took a deep breath and, with her head held as high as she could without breaking her neck, she walked over to the only door on the floor and knocked briskly several times. She had wanted to take Fin with her at first, but she thought if her parents acted in the same way and used the same language as their daughter, Fin would only be more of a liability than an asset.

"I'll be right there," a voice that sounded like it belonged on a job training video called through the door.

Moments later several locks tumbled, and the door opened to reveal a woman about ten years younger than Olivia. She had on a conservative navy blue pant suit that flattered her thin frame with black hair pulled back into an elegant bun with matching dark blue pumps adorning her feet. Her eyes were a soft gentle brown and her skin was the color of warm cocoa.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked. Olivia tried to hold back her surprise. This wasn't what she had expected at all. The detective shook her head and cleared her throat.

"Yes, my name is Olivia Tutuola, I'm Tina's mother." The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment before realization came over her face and she gave Olivia what appeared to be a genuine smile.

"Of course, Sabrina talks about Tina all the time. I'm Ashley Johnson, Sabrina's mother." She stuck out her hand but this time it was Olivia's turn to be confused.

"I'm sorry, you said you're 'Sabrina's' mother?" Ashley appeared like she was about to repeat herself when she shook her head and rolled her eyes to the heavens.

"Of course she would introduce herself with that horrid fake name," she muttered more to herself then Olivia. "Forgive me, my daughter's real name is Sabrina, but she refers to herself nowadays as Sha'Niqua," she clarified. "Against her father's and my wishes, of course. But what can I help you with, Mrs. Tutuola?" Once again Olivia was blasted into almost shock. This was not going like she thought it would. The detective cleared her throat and clasped her hands in front of her.

"I'm not sure if Sabrina told you, but the other day Tina invited her over for dinner after school, which we were perfectly fine with. But your daughter made some extremely rude and racist comments to my husband and to me, and we both agreed that it would be better if Tina and Sabrina no longer associated together." Olivia expected shock or anger to explode from within the woman, she knew if anyone ever came to her doorstop telling them that Tina was rude and racist she would have fought with everything she had protesting. But instead all she got was wide eyes and her features clouded in shame.

"Oh my word, I am so sorry! I- I can't even begin to tell you how embarrassed I am right now! I thought she had grown out of it, I mean obviously I was wrong, but oh God, I'm so sorry for whatever she said!"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at the woman standing before her.

"This isn't the first time it's happened is it?"

"I'm afraid not," Ashley sighed, running a hand over her face. "Really, I can't even begin to describe how dreadfully sorry I am. Do- do you want to come inside for a cup of coffee and we can talk?" Olivia, still cautious over the complete one eighty she expected this conversation to go, cleared her throat and mustered a soft smile.

"Sure. Thank you." Ten minutes later Olivia had been served with coffee and was sitting across the elegant table slowly sipping the hot drink.

"I must know, what exactly did my daughter say to you?" Ashley began as she slowly stirred the cream and sugar into her coffee.

"She called me a racist when I had done nothing to offend her, she called me 'Whitey', everything I said she turned into a matter about race, she acted like I personally had enslaved every single African-American in the country, she was highly racist and prejudiced. My husband is also very sensitive to the 'N' word, which she used, and neither of us tolerate that word being said in our home. There's a long history behind it and the fact she called him that word really got to him."

"No of course, I understand completely," Ashley said as she took a small sip of coffee. She set it down and shook her head in disgust at what her daughter had said and done. "Oh God, Mrs. Tutuola, I'm beyond apologetic for what she said and did to you and your husband. You see," Ashley began with a sigh. "Sabrina has always been involved in some pride cause ever since she was old enough to go to the charities her father and I frequent. Typically we go to a few dinners and write a sizable check but Sabrina always wants to take several leaps and bounds forward. Harold thought it was wonderful that our daughter is so involved in politics, him being a lawyer and all, but she does no research on any of her causes, and ends up making a complete and total mockery of those she's supposed to be representing and helping.

"Two years ago she got involved with Animal Rights activist and screamed bloody murder every time I merely glanced at a steak in the grocery store. She bought all their T-shirts, posted sickening photos of animal abuse all over her room, and would even stake out the freezer section to lecture anyone who attempted to buy meat. However, she had no problems eating cheeseburgers and meat lover pizzas and barbeque. Then the next year she was on a woman's right's kick and became an ultra feminist. However she had also gotten involved with a pro-ife movement at the same time and would be screaming about a woman's rights are sacred and how our sex is superior to males while picketing outside of a Planned Parenthood claiming a unborn child had more rights than the mother who should have no option when deciding the fate of her child."

Olivia shook her head in amazement. "I thought Tina was getting political when she shared a CNN link on Facebook but this is... wow."

"'Wow' being the nicest term I've heard describe it, to include when talked about with her father and me," Ashley told the brunette as she took another sip of coffee. "She takes causes, barely skims the top layer of what they're truly about, and sprints with them making herself look like a fool. It's the same with her 'black rights' kick she is on now but this is the most annoying by far. She didn't even begin speaking like a hoodlum until we moved from Long Island to the City.

"You see her father is first generation America, at least six generations living in Canada and I'm second generation after my grandparents voluntary came from Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, over to New York so really the slave factor doesn't even apply to her. But for her to insult you and your family like that, Mrs. Tutuola, and act as though you have personally enslaved every member of our race is absolutely deplorable." Olivia nodded in understanding.

"I get it. My husband's great grandparents moved to New York from Georgia, so I know they faced hardships, but he doesn't blame every single white person he sees for what happened to them and from the stories he's told, I'm amazed that he doesn't."

"Exactly. Even Sabrina felt that exact same sentiment until she decided black rights was her calling. And I assure you, Olivia, no one else in my family holds her beliefs. I have a bi-racial niece I love to death and up until a few weeks ago Sabrina had no problems with members of the Caucasian race. She even dated a white girl when she going through her gay rights phrase with blonde hair and blue eyes. Of course, that lasted as long as it took for them to share their first kiss, and Sabrina decided it 'didn't feel right' but nevertheless, I promise you no one else in my family holds with her racist beliefs and I assure you, my husband and I have tried for several months to get her to stop this insanity but nothing's worked."

"She's a teenager," Olivia said with a shrug. "That's the time you're allowed to go crazy and have fun."

"True, but I just wish my daughter's fun didn't include insulting two very nice people, which again, I am dreadfully sorry for. And you can rest assured she will be punished for her behavior." Ashley gave her a curt nod and finished off her coffee before she glanced at her watch. "Good Lord, is that the time?"

Olivia and Ashley checked their watches, both confirming that it was half past ten.

"Forgive me but I need to be up at five AM on the sharp to get to the trading floor."

"Of course, I understand. I'm actually in the middle of a big case right now so I have to be up early too. I should probably get going." They both gave each other a polite nod and stood up from the table and walked over to Ashlee's door. "Again, I do hope you can forgive me for the mess Sabrina caused. It's humiliating the way she treated you two."

"Don't worry about it, I understand," Olivia assured her with a smile as Ashley opened the door for the brunette.

"That's very kind of you but again I do apologize from the bottom of my heart over this."

"It's fine," Olivia told her with another grin. Ashley gave her a soft grin. "Thank you for being so understanding about all this. I hope you have a pleasant night."

"You too." And with that, she turned and walked away. Feeling much better then what she had thought she would have at the end of the conversation, Olivia walked the few blocks to her building with a smile on her face. She made it back home within minutes, her smile growing when she saw a spotless kitchen and Fin lounging on the couch in a pair of faded dark sweat pants watching 'Burning Tires: Racers Dozen', the twelfth movie in his favorite franchise.

"Hi, Honey," she called, shutting and locking the door behind her. "Tina in bed?"

"Yep. Sleeping like a baby. Home at 8:59, just like she was supposed to be," Fin said without tearing his eyes away from the screen. Olivia studied the video briefly.

"You know you would think eventually they'd run out of fast cars or barely legal women in spandex,"

"Nah, Baby Girl, not all of them wear spandex. In this one half of them don't wear anything at all," he told her without turning away from one of those women on the screen. Olivia just rolled her eyes as she went over to the couch and laid down on it, placing her feet over Fin's lap. Without missing a beat Fin immediately pulled off her shoes and began to massage her feet, not turning away from the picture on the screen.

"You talk to her parents and tell them we don't want them around anymore?" asked Fin, his eyes glued to the explosions that occurred when someone dropped a match on a board walk, surprisingly not injuring or frightening any of the women dressed in either nothing or bikinis.

"I did."

"And?"

"And her mother is more educated and proper then we are. She hates what her daughter said and was completely mortified by it. It's not the first time it's happened either." Fin shook his head as another explosion happened from the sheer speed of the two racing cars.

"How the hell did she end up like that then?"

"According to her mother, she picks random causes, does no research, and runs away with it. Black rights, women's rights, gay rights which, I found out, during that stage she actually dated a blonde hair blue eyed lily white girl." Fin turned away from the screen to look at Olivia.

"You're serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"So she basically gets involved in causes she knows nothing about, and runs with them and doesn't realize what an idiot she sounds like."

"Pretty much hit the nail on the head." He shook his head as he turned back to his movie, his hands switching to the other foot.

"That's messed up."

"Tell me about it. God your hands are magic," she groaned happily as he continued to rub her feet.

Fin smirked as he continued to watch his movie. "Give me a few minutes, I'll show you what I can really do with these hands." Olivia laughed softly as she leaned back on the couch.

"So the conversation I had actually made me think of an interesting point."

"About what?" Olivia smirked as she began using her free leg to gently stroke his thigh.

"About our…little conversation. What do you say we try to make some magic tonight?" Fin finally turned his head from the television and studied his wife carefully. The smirk she was giving him and the glint in her eye told him she had no intentions of being anything but naughty tonight.

"I uh…" Fin said, swallowing hard. "I think that's the best idea you've had in weeks." With that, he switched off the TV, and took her hand as she practically dragged him into the bedroom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Olivia crossed the threshold of the bedroom and felt Fin wrap his arms around her. She nuzzled into the embrace for a moment before breaking free.

"Give me two minutes," she said seductively, dragging a finger down his cheek. She raced towards the walk-in closet they shared and turned back towards him, gripping the doorframe, and shooting him one of the sexiest looks he had see from her in a long time. "I want to slip into something more comfortable," she said, flashing him a mischievous smile and disappearing. Fin smiled and nodded in approval. He pulled off his shoes and socks and contemplated what she could be putting on. Maybe it would be the black lace teddy he loved to drag off her body. Or maybe the red nightgown that was so short it barely covered her ass, he thought, unbuttoning and removing his shirt. Or perhaps the ice blue bra and panty set that looked like the tailor had custom fit it to her body. _Oh, please, let it be blue,_ he thought, tugging off his pants, leaving him in only his boxers. He knew he should put on pajamas, but why bother at this point? It was just another obstacle. No, he'd just sit here on the edge of the bed and wait for whatever she had cooked up.

And then she appeared in the doorway.

"Well? What do you think?" she asked, bending one leg slightly and stretching her right arm up to lean against the door frame. Fin's jaw hit the floor at the same time his cock came to life. It wasn't black lace or red satin or ice blue. His beautiful wife was wrapped in a deep purple sheer material, held over her shoulders by delicate white ribbons. The garment itself stopped just at the top of her thighs but swept up in an upside down V towards the valley between her breasts, leaving her toned tummy bare on display. Her breasts were hidden from his view by more eggplant fabric decorated in white lace to highlight their round shape, and the cups swept to the single point between her breasts where a white ribbon was tied in a perfect bow, begging his fingers to undo it. To top the whole package off, she had paired it with matching eggplant bikini panties.

"Uh…you…I mean…uh…wow," he stammered. Olivia laughed slightly as she sauntered towards him.

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. He ran his hand over the flimsy fabric encasing her body, noting how soft it felt underneath his fingers. The softness only served to turn him on even more, but he wanted to enjoy his little sex kitten of a wife.

"Mmm…this is nice," he said between kisses, inching back so she had room to straddle him. He tightened his embrace and explored every inch of her back over the fabric, finally resting on her ass. He pulled the sheer material high enough that he could slip his hands underneath, palming and kneading at the flesh underneath. Olivia followed his lead, rocking back into his hands, giving him what he wanted.

Her lips left his and traveled along his jawline to the nape of his neck. He groaned in appreciation as she nibbled at the flesh there, causing his dick to twitch painfully underneath her. He laid back on the bed, pulling her with him. Her hands splayed on his chest, tracing every line of his chiseled physique. She rocked back, kissing her way down his chest, paying special homage to the tattoo he lovingly bore. Finally, she sat upright, displaying her glorious form to him again.

He traced the seam that ran underneath her breasts to the ribbon holding the garment together. He couldn't imagine wanting any other woman the way he wanted her, even after all these years. He toyed with the ribbon, letting the silky material drift through his fingers. She was already breathing hard, and he could feel the damp spot already forming between her legs from where she perched on his stomach. He slowly pulled one of the ends of the ribbon, watching the bow morph and disappear altogether as the knot was freed. The garment was so fitted that even with the knot undone, her bust held it firmly in place. He ran his hand over the lace again, cupping her breasts, and earning him a delicious moan, before parting the fabric, revealing her in all her glory to him. She let the straps fall from her shoulders and he tossed the garment aside, returning his hands to her recently bared skin as quickly as possible.

She rocked back, feeling him press against her ass. Judging from his harness, she knew that the foreplay wouldn't last for long, and feeling a particular sense of safety tonight, she leaned in and whispered words he had been dying to hear for a very, very long time.

"Do you want me on my hands and knees tonight?" she asked. He searched her face for any hesitation or reluctance or anxiety before he answered, and yet, he saw none. She wasn't doing this out of any sense of obligation; she was doing this because that was how _she_ wanted it tonight. And upon that realization, he almost shot into his boxers.

"Oh, God, Liv…" he groaned.

"So was that a yes or a no?" she teased.

"Yes. Yes. Absolutely, yes," he told her. Dragging his boxers off of him, she knelt next to him, with her back to him, and glanced at him over her shoulder. In an almost cat like fashion, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and slid them down, exposing her ass inch by inch. Fin position himself behind her, enfolding her in his arms, and helping her push the last remaining barrier between them off.

"You ok, Baby?" he whispered, taking her breasts into his hands. He thumbed the nipples softly waiting for her response. She laid her head back on his shoulder with her mouth hanging open as his touched increased her wetness.

"I am so better than ok," she replied, finding words. Fin leaned in and kissed the nape of her neck, pulling incoherent moans from her. When he knew she couldn't take any more teasing, he gently pushed on her back, and she gracefully positioned herself on her hands and knees. Fin sat back on his heels, admiring the view. It had been far too long since he had seen his wife from this angle. He lightly traced the outline of her branded skin, as was his custom prior to making love to her.

But tonight, he didn't just want to look; he wanted to taste. He leaned forward and blew slightly on her already drenched folds.

"Fin…what are you doing?" Olivia warned.

"I just want a little taste, Baby," he said, and before she could object, he licked her entire length. She opened her mouth to object, but moaned instead as her arms gave out and she pressed her face to the pillow underneath. Fin lapped at his wife's most intimate opening like a hungry beast, and yet, her body just produced more fluid to quench his desire. Olivia's cries grew louder by the second until she buried her face in a pillow to stifle the sound. Fin inserted a finger inside her and began to pump gently.

Olivia couldn't take it. She was clenching and unclenching the pillow under her, convinced it would be in shreds when her husband was finished with her. She found herself rocking back onto his finger, panting hard, trying so desperately to reach a point where she could topple over the edge, but not quite getting there. She felt his lips drift higher on her, until they were in the one place she had forbidden him from going. He could look all he wanted, but never touch, and she felt his tongue at that entrance.

"Fin, no," she cried in the midst of her ecstasy. "Not there…please…uhhh…please not there." Fin accepted defeat, and quickly returned to his previous position. He inserted a second finger and latched onto her clit, and Olivia came undone. Now he had to have her. Olivia cumming always came close to pushing Fin over the edge. He stroked her back as the aftershocks ripped through her, and when she had calmed, he lined himself up at her entrance and pushed in. She was so wet from her recent orgasm that he didn't need to go slow. He thrust into her with the intensity he needed to push them both higher. He loved the way her ass rippled as he bounced against it and the sounds their bodies made as they crashed into each other. But he couldn't keep his eyes off of her little rosebud that was winking at him with every thrust.

God, he wanted to try that. He couldn't express how or why he wanted it so badly at this particular point in time, but he wanted it. He had all but given up on ever getting that from her, but their recent conversation had made him realize that anything was possible with her now.

Anything.

Dare he hope?

She was lost in ecstasy. Sound was pouring from her mouth, but nothing resembled actual words. She seemed more like a sex-starved goddess at this point, and she just wanted that itch scratched. Maybe he could…no, he couldn't. He shouldn't. But he wanted to. She was so turned on, there was a good chance she would barely notice.

He pulled out of her pussy and lined his dick up with the one hole on his wife he had never penetrated before. He staccato cries were now a long low moan. He pushed forward gently, not enough to push inside, but enough for her to feel pressure. Hopefully, she was so turned on, she's be game for anything.

"Fin!" she yelled. "Lower." Fin bent over, curving his form against hers.

"Baby, you're so relaxed right now. Let me try, please. Just let me try," he begged, nibbling behind her ear. He pushed forward with slightly more pressure, and he could feel her body surround the absolute tip of his cock. Oh, God, he wanted this.

"Fin…no…please…please…" she begged.

"Just this once, Baby Girl. If you hate it, I swear, I'll never ask you again. I swear," he said as he continued to nibble. Olivia felt him press against her ass even harder. She pounded her fist against the pillow.

"Not kidding, Fin…no…stop," she said with a bit more force. She started to squirm underneath him, but he held fast. And then he heard a sound he had only heard one other time before. It was something between a cry and a scream, but it was definitely the same sound she had made when Joseph raped her the very first time. Fin jumped away from her as if she had turned into a live flame. She jumped up from the bed, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around her naked form.

"What the hell?" she barked, fury apparent in her eyes.

"I thought you said you were ready to spice things up again!" he yelled back.

"I also thought you knew what 'stop' and 'no' meant!" she hollered back.

"Hang on, so, you get to ask me if I'm happy with you, and when I tell you there are things I miss, we just go back to doing whatever Liv wants? Why in the hell did you bring that up in the first place?" he argued.

"Because I was bored too, but I didn't expect you to try to rape my ass!" she screamed. And that was it. She had hit below the belt by equating him with every male he couldn't stand. Truth be told, he knew what he had just done, but he hadn't been ready to face it as quickly as she was.

"Ok, so you don't want it from behind, you don't want it in your ass, and my dick hasn't been sucked in fifteen years. Exactly what _do_ you want to try, Liv?" he said, hitting just as far below the belt as she had. Her lower lip quivered. She knew she wasn't great in bed anymore. In fact, she was sure that if their marriage ever fell apart, it would be over something as trivial as her lack of interest or adventure in the bedroom. She didn't want to cry in front of him, so she snatched the pillow off the bed and started towards the living room.

"Where are you going?" Fin barked.

"I'm not sleeping in here with you!" she yelled back.

"No. You stay. I'm leaving," he told her. Each of them had an emergency overnight bag packed in case they were called in on urgent case at the last minute. He pulled his clothes back on quickly, grabbed his bag and left. A moment later, she heard the front door close, and the lock click back into place.

He wasn't sure where he was headed, but he knew he had to get out of that apartment. He wasn't mad at Olivia; he was mad at himself. She had been right; he had come close to raping her. Again. And this time he was stone cold sober. _If she would just lighten up,_ he thought, but in the back of his mind, he knew she wouldn't. He knew that there were parts of her that were damaged beyond repair, whether she was ready to admit it or not. But he couldn't lay next to her tonight. He didn't deserve that privilege. And so, he went to the one place any cop would go when he or she was no longer welcome in bed.

"Fin, is everything ok?" Amanda Rollins said, swinging open the door to her apartment. She took one look at the duffle bag and had her answer.

"Olivia and I had a little…discussion," he said, soft-pedaling the truth as much as possible.

"Is this the kind of discussion that leads to you sleeping on my couch?" Rollins asked.

"Do you mind?" he asked. She waved her hand and walked into the apartment, leaving the door open for him to follow her. A throw blanket was bunched up on the couch, probably from where she had been sitting prior to his unexpected arrival. She was in a pair of worn black sweat pants and a tank top, and while she was far from presentable, Fin barely gave her a second glance. He was more interested in the movie that was playing on the TV.

"_Burning Tires 7_?" he asked. Burning Tires 7: Lady Luck was the only movie in the franchise to feature a female protagonist, played, of course, by a buxom blonde who was smart as a whip and kept her loyal boyfriend in check. While he would never admit it publicly, she was the one who turned him on more than any other woman in the entire franchise.

"Yeah. It's stupid, I know, but I've seen them all," she said, reaching for the remote.

"No, leave it," Fin said quickly. Rollins gave him a confused look. "I watched 12 earlier tonight," he said sheepishly.

XxXxX

"No! I won't do it!" Colin roared as he managed to pick up a chair and hurl it against the wall despite being shackled. In a flash, guards were on top of him, forcing him back into the chair he had just sent sailing, and securing is hands to the table.

"If you can't control yourself, Colin, you're going to the Hole," one of them warned. Colin huffed for a moment before turning his attention back to his companion, who hadn't even flinched at the sudden outburst.

"Stunts like that aren't going to earn you any points with the parole board. I didn't say you had to believe any of this, just say it. Parole hearings are just a song and dance routine. Say what they want you to say, and you get out of this cage. Say anything else, and you get to stay here," Peña explained in the same soft demeanor he usually sported.

"You want me to apologize for raping that filthy race traitor. If she were standing here right now, I'd do it again, only this time, I'd make sure that bitch really suffered," Joseph seethed.

"But to them, she isn't a race traitor. She's a decorated detective with a loving husband and child. _She's_ the victim. Whatever she tells them, you have to play off of, with remorse," Peña explained. Joseph shrugged.

"That bitch has never had the courage to show up at any of my hearings. Why the hell would she show up now?" he replied. Then he leaned forward over the table with a sickening grin. "I'll tell you why. She knows what she did was wrong, and she knows that I won't hesitate to punish her for it myself. She's too afraid to show her face in my presence."

"Listen to me, ok? I hate her just as much as you do. She cost me everything when she falsely accused me of rape. My only goal in this is to make sure that you get out of here. What you do to her after that, I really couldn't care less, got it?" It was no secret that Peña wanted to see Olivia suffer, but there really wasn't a violent bone in his body. Should she _happen_ to be the victim of some heinous crime, well, he wouldn't shed any tears for her, but he didn't have the balls to do it himself.

"Now, here's what you're going to do," Peña reiterated. "You're going to go in there, tell them that you idolized your brother, and he was the one who wanted to actively punish race traitors. You've realized, through working with the prison chaplain, that this is not God's path for you, and that you feel nothing but the deepest remorse for all of the pain and suffering you've caused that family. You've been meeting with the chaplain like I told you to, right?"

"Yeah. One of those 'Jesus loves everyone, even you' pricks. What a hack," Joseph said.

"Hack or not, the parole board love to hear stories about convicts who found Jesus and have sworn to live a better life, if given the chance," Peña replied. "Swallow your pride for a single afternoon, and you walk out of here. That's what you want, isn't it?" Joseph said nothing. It felt so wrong to him to have to say what Peña had told him would set him free. And yet, there was nothing he could do from behind these bars. Not only was that pretty little detective violating the laws of nature, she was also the one responsible for Adam's death. She needed to be brought to justice.

XxXxX

Olivia pushed the thought of her argument with Fin from her mind the moment she walked into the precinct. She generally refused to mix personal and professional business, and most of the time she was successful. The squad was still working on background checks for the list provided by Audrey, Sweet Pea's assistant, but Olivia needed to re-interview her witness. If nothing else, she needed to know that Sweet Pea was planning to stay put in New York until this mess was resolved. Olivia was shown to the top floor of an exquisite townhouse on the Upper East Side by a housekeeper complete with a grey uniform and white apron. When she arrived, she saw a Louis Vuitton suitcase laid flat of the bed, and Sweet Pea was frantically shoving clothes into it.

"Going somewhere?" Olivia asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Yeah. God knows I need to get the hell out of this damn city," she replied curtly.

"Jenna, I know it's tough, but you can't leave right now. We need you to stay in the City until the investigation pans out," Olivia answered. Jenna stopped moving and crossed her arms over her chest. To anyone else, she might have been intimidating, but Olivia had come up against far worse.

"You have my number, and you've grilled me for hours. What more could you possibly need that can't be handled remotely?" Jenna asked.

"We could need you for a line up, or we could have more questions as the investigation proceeds. Jenna, we don't know, but you have to stay and see this through," Olivia said.

"How am I supposed to 'see this through' with crap like this?" Jenna exclaimed, thrusting a newspaper towards Olivia. Olivia unfolded it, and the headline of the tabloid screamed, "Pop Singer's Songs Come to Life in Brutal Backstage Rape." Olivia scanned the article and, while it made some bold claims, hadn't actually reported anything false.

"When did…" she began.

"This morning. There are five more like it. Now, I know I didn't say anything, nor did anyone on my staff. So, forgive me if I don't exactly trust the NYPD right now, Detective," she spat, slamming more clothes into the suitcase.

"Look, Jenna, I don't know how this story broke, but I assure you, no cop would risk his or her career for this," Olivia tried to reassure her. She thought for a moment. "Jenna, there's one other person who knows what happened that night." Jenna studied Olivia's face for a minute while her brain caught Olivia's train of thought.

"My rapist," she whispered. "Would he really have sold the story? Wouldn't that be admitting guilt?"

"Not necessarily. He wouldn't have to claim he's the perp to sell the story. Are you sure you can't think of anyone who might have a grudge against you? A former manager or a publicist or an agent?" Olivia probed. Jenna shook her head.

"I didn't see him, and his voice sounded…I don't know," she stammered.

"We're going to need a list of all of the males you can remember working with. Dancers, musicians, bodyguards…everyone you can remember. Think you can do that?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, I'll have Audrey get it to you by the end of the day," Jenna replied, sounding defeated.

"Good. I have a car stationed outside for security, but I don't think you should be alone right now," Olivia said. Actually, the radio car out front served two purposes. The obvious was for Sweet Pea's security. The second purpose was to alert SVU if she tried to leave town. "Is your mom still around?" Jenna rubbed her forehead.

"She's in my office, talking to our publicist. She wants to spin this into some big charity thing. You know, the Mother Theresa of rape victims standing behind her own daughter, blah, blah, blah, and she wants me to be the spokesperson for the whole thing," Jenna said lowering herself to the bed. She sounded exhausted. "I don't want to do it." Olivia took a seat next to her. She couldn't help but see Tina in this position, and to have a crime like this further traumatized by newshounds who picked through garbage looking for a story. Olivia took her hand.

"Right now, the best thing we can do is for you to focus on healing Jenna, and for me to catch a rapist," she said gently. Jenna studied her intently. There was something about the detective that she liked instantly, and it led her to trust Olivia implicitly. "And I'm sure once your mother subdues the sharks, she'll make sure you get the best possible care. This is what she does, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jenna said softly.

"What the hell are you doing here, Detective?" Olivia turned, and behind her was Siobhan McConnell, whose anger seemed to be just as red as her hair.

"Interviewing a witness," Olivia said in a tone that could only convey a don't-mess-with-me message.

"My daughter has been through hell, and I'll thank you not to traumatize her any further," Siobhan snapped.

"Mom, she…" Jenna began.

"Quiet, Jenna. Somebody leaked that story, and I'm pretty sure I'm looking at her," Siobhan stated.

"Ms. McConnell," Olivia began. She understood the accusation, but anyone who knew Olivia Benson knew that she would be the last person in the world to leak a story to the papers. "I have been doing this job for over twenty years. Over the course of that time, I've handled any number of VIP cases, and the reason I get assigned to them is because I know how to keep my mouth shut." Siobhan relaxed slightly. "My only interest in this case is seeing Jenna's rapist convicted."

"It's ok, Mom. She's cool," Jenna said softly.

"I'm sorry, Detective. I've grown accustomed to being suspicious around anyone showing interest in my girls. Especially since…" Siobhan began, but stopped. "Well, then, of course you have our cooperation."

"Especially since…what, Ms. McConnell?" Olivia asked, not wanting to let that go.

"Especially since Jenna's career has taken off as well as it has. You'd be surprised at the lengths people will go to just to meet my daughter," Siobhan said with a practiced smile. Olivia nodded, not entirely convinced she had gotten the whole story.

"Will you be ok?" Olivia asked turning to Jenna. Jenna nodded. "Good. You have my number. Call me any time, day or night, ok?" Jenna nodded again.

XxXxX

Just before Olivia left for yet another late shift at the precinct, she pulled out an envelope from the desk she and Fin kept in their bedroom and scrawled a note on the back. She placed a twenty dollar bill inside, set the note on the kitchen counter, and headed out. Tina came home from school less than an hour later, picked up the envelope, and read:

_Tina,_

_Dad and I are both on night shift tonight. Left cash for food. I'll be home by 9:00._

_Love,_

_Mom_

A grin crossed Tina's face as she extracted the bill from the envelope and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number that appeared in her contact list more frequently than any other.

"Hey, it's me. Guess who's working the night shift tonight," she said.

"Your parents?" She could see the lop-sided smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye as he processed the meaning of this statement.

"Uh huh. So why don't you hope on a train and come over. Dad even left cash for food," she said.

"I'm on my way," he replied.

"See you soon, Eli," she replied before she hung up. While she waited, Tina raced into her room, trying on nearly every garment in her closet before selecting the pair of jeans she had worn to school that day (they made her ass look amazing) and a halter top neither Olivia nor Fin would have approved of because of the incredible cleavage it showed. Of course, it was for that very reason that she kept the top hidden in the back of her closet.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Detective Benson, here's the background information you requested. This was in with the list of names Sweet Pea's people provided. I think you should take a look at it," a uniformed officer told her, slipping her a jewel case. The list had been so extensive a couple of uniforms had been pulled in to dig up the routine information. The detectives would investigate less obvious venues, but just about anyone with a badge could run a standard background check. Olivia flipped the CD over in her hand.

"Thank you," she said absently, continuing towards her desk. She sat down and opened the case. Inside was a sticky note with the words "Play #4."

"Nick, can I borrow your headphones?" she asked, popping the CD into her computer.

"Sure. Another training seminar?" he replied, referring to the computerized training modules they frequently had to listen to and sign off on.

"No, Audrey sent me one of Sweet Pea's CDs, and there's something here she obviously wants me to figure out," Olivia said. She took the headphones from him, plugged them in and pressed play. While the first haunting cords came to life, she slipped the insert from the case. The album was entitled _Sweet Pea,_ and from the reading she had done, she knew it was her first release. Most of her songs had an upbeat, slightly dangerous or rebellious feel to them, but this trace was sending chills through her. The instrumentation was different, less guitar and drum kit, more of…something else. Celtic, perhaps?

She flipped the booklet to the lyrics for the track she was currently listening to, entitled _Boogieman._

_Boogieman, Boogieman, what do you want?_

_You'll sell me my dreams for a pound full of flesh_

_Boogieman, Boogieman, you take what you need._

_Young and supple meat, still bleeding, so fresh_

_What is the price for the cash and the fame?_

_Had I known what the answer was, I'd revile your name._

_Standing up and playing my role_

_I didn't know you would steal my soul._

"Nick," Olivia said, pulling off the headphones once the song played out. She wordlessly slid the lyrics across her desk to his. "Read that." Nick picked up the booklet, and shrugged.

"It's just a song, Liv. Her latest release was about getting beaten by whips and chains and liking it, and she's probably making millions off of it," he said. "Plus, I've managed to dig up a little information myself," he said, showing her his own file. "She likes publicity stunts. She faked a pregnancy last year that she mysteriously lost because her name was slipping from the headlines, and she was in danger of dropping off the Top Ten. This 'rape' could just be another publicity stunt." Olivia studied the file, trying to be objective.

"I don't think so. My gut tells me she was raped, and I'm not sure this is the first time," she replied.

"Suit yourself, but if this turns out to be just another way to get attention, I'll see to it that she's charged with filing a false report," he said.

"The way she sings this, I think her Boogieman is real. He's someone she knows. I just have to find out who that is," she said, rising from her desk and retrieving her jacket.

"All right, let's go talk to her," Nick said, failing to hide the annoyance in his voice.

XxXxX

Jenna was curled into a ball in a cushioned patio chair on her back deck with Nick and Olivia arrived at the townhouse.

"Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the three other chairs around the small table with one arm while taking a drag off the lit cigarette with her other. She flicked the spent ash from her cigarette before continuing. "You find the bastard yet?" Olivia sat next to Jenna, while Nick took the seat opposite her.

"We're working on it," Olivia answered. "I've been listening to your work," she began. Jenna scoffed.

"Please tell me you aren't here for an autograph," she said.

"Of course not. I just wanted to ask you about some of your music," she said. Sweet Pea took another drag off her cigarette.

"What about it?" she asked nonchalantly.

"This isn't the first time someone's attacked you, is it?" Olivia asked in that damn gentle voice that could convince anyone to spill their guts.

"Of course it is," Jenna replied, a little too quickly.

"Then why did you write about a Boogieman in your first album who offered you fortune and fame in exchange for a pound of flesh?" Olivia asked. Sweet Pea swallowed hard.

"That…that was just a song," she scoffed. "Timed to come out around Halloween, and I made millions on it. Besides, half the stuff I do is written by other songwriters."

"This one wasn't," Olivia said, pulling out the booklet from the album from her pocket. She slid it across the table with her finger pointing to the credits. "'Lyrics by Jenna Shillington.' You wrote it under your given name, and every other song credits you as 'Sweet Pea.'" Jenna said nothing, but Olivia noticed her breathing had picked up. "What's so special about this one, hm? Why did it get your real name and all the others got your stage name?" Jenna shrugged and pushed her hair behind her ear. She stamped her cigarette out in the ashtray on the table, extracted another one from the pack and lit it. Nick tilted his head up, judging her body language, noticing she was squirming.

"It's a misprint," Jenna said softly. Olivia and Nick exchanged a glance.

"Do you know what I think, Jenna?" Olivia said, focusing back on Jenna. "I think the Boogieman is real. I think it's someone you knew and trusted, and he hurt you. Now, judging by the release date, I think you were a pretty, naïve, sixteen-year-old girl, and someone took advantage of you." Jenna swallowed hard, willing the moisture in her eyes to not spill over into tears.

"I can't talk about it," she said softly. Olivia nodded, but it was time to push.

"I think you've been keeping a secret for a long time. Don't you think it's time for it to come out?" Olivia asked.

"I can't, Detective. I'm sorry, but I can't, not without an attorney," Jenna said. With that, she jumped up and bolted into her townhouse.

"Jenna!" Olivia called, trying to chase after her with no effect. "Damn," she swore.

"You know, we could arrest her. Then we could talk to her on our terms," Nick said, rising to stand next her her.

"On what charge?" Olivia asked.

"Obstruction?" he replied.

"No. I won't arrest a rape victim to get her to talk. She may be a VIP, but she's still a scared young woman battling one hell of an inner demon, and I want that attorney in my office ASAP," Olivia said, vehemently.

XxXxX

Olivia exited the break room with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, just as Fin and Amanda showed up for their shifts, which would go until at least midnight. Amanda almost stumbled as she fell into a fit of giggles, reaching out and grabbing his arm. Fin stopped to help her regain her balance with a beaming smile on his face. Olivia felt her throat catch at the sight of them, not because he was with his partner, who happened to be young, female, and blonde, but because they two of them seemed happy together. And, Olivia couldn't help but notice, the space between them had grown practically invisible. Was it possible that he had left her bed and gone directly to Amanda's? No, she shook that thought immediately from her mind. But they seemed so…so…_synched._

Fin tore his attention away from Amanda, and the smile faded the instant he saw Olivia staring at him from the doorway of the breakroom. He turned and excused himself politely.

"Catch ya later," Amanda said, giving him a friendly jab in the arm. He walked right up to Olivia, as there was no point in postponing the inevitable.

"We need to talk," he said, almost embarrassed. She crossed her arms as best as she could without dropping her coffee.

"Yeah we do," she said, with just the slightest hint of iciness in her voice.

"Not here," he said, practically begging. He knew that once she got started on her tongue lashing, there would be no relenting, and he didn't want an audience when that happened.

"Fine," she said, setting the untouched coffee on a table. Fin hastily glanced around in search of someplace remotely private, settling on the Crib. She followed him into the room that they had both spent far too many nights in over the years. She was still forming the words in her head, stalling for time, as she closed the door at an excruciatingly slow pace. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she also knew that her emotions were raw and unchecked, and she didn't want to say something she knew she would later regret. Her years of training as a detective honed her ability to maintain her composure, keep an intimidating appearance, and still be at a complete loss for words.

"Liv…" he began, ready to apologize to her, admit he was a total ass, and do whatever it took to make sure he wound up back home tonight, but she held a hand up.

"Stop," she seethed. "Just stop." She crossed her arms over her chest and began a slow path around the room, trying to figure out how to phrase the accusation in her head. Fin swallowed hard. He knew his wife was one of the finest detectives on the force, and this was a perfect example of why.

"How could you?" she finally said, squaring her hips towards him and pulling her tall frame as high as it could go. "How could you storm off and run into _her_ arms?" Fin furrowed his brow in confusion. This wasn't what he expected her to be upset about.

"Wha…what?" he asked.

"Her. Amanda. The thirty-something with an ass you can bounce a quarter off of," she said, making him feel incredibly stupid.

"Amanda? What? Ok, for starters, you've clearly paid more attention to her than I have. I went to her place because the cots in here are a step above a bed of nails, and she's my partner," he said. Liv scoffed.

"You've noticed every female ass in Manhattan, and you're telling me you haven't noticed hers? Nice try, Fin," she retorted. Fin rubbed his forehead.

"Liv," he said with a sigh. "I didn't sleep with her, if that's where this is going."

"Could have fooled me," she shot back. "Did you or did not you leave my bedroom…_our_ bedroom last night and run straight to her apartment?" Fin took a deep breath. He needed to find a way to tame the beast his wife had become.

"Olivia, calm down for two seconds, ok? Let me explain," he said, trying to resist the urge to yell back at her.

"Yes, I did go to her apartment last night, but not for the reasons you think I did. We're friends, _good _friends, but that's _all_. How many times did you storm off to Elliot's place for one reason or another? You weren't sleeping with him, were you?" he asked. It wasn't an accusation, merely a comparison.

"That's different," she rebutted.

"How?"

"He's married," she said. Fin took a chance, approaching his wife and placing his hands on her upper arms.

"And so am I," he said softly. She raised her eyes, wide with insecurity, searching every inch of his for the truth behind his words.

"To a wife who's so screwed up, she was convinced her husband was trying to rape her," she said barely loud enough for him to hear. He folded her into his arms, feeling her arms slip around his waist, clinging to him like a lifeline.

"To a wife I would give my life for, to the mother of my children, and the woman I can't imagine living without," he whispered into her hair. He felt her shake in his arms, crying softly into his shirt.

"But I can't give you what you want," she said through her tears.

"What, the bedroom stuff? So what? You wanna be plain old vanilla? We can be plain old vanilla. But I swear on Tina's life, the only bed I have any interest in sleeping in is yours," he told her. She looked up at him, tears still glistening in her eyes.

"I don't want to be vanilla," she whispered. "I don't know what I want, though. But last night, you had me pinned, and…and…" She buried her face into his shirt again, letting her sentence hang in the air.

"And you said 'no,'" he said, tightening his grip on her. "I should have listened instead of trying to push you, and I'm sorry, Baby. I am so, so sorry. You've gotta know that I wouldn't have actually continued without your say so."

"I know. But it felt like…" she began.

"I felt like him," he said. He didn't need to elaborate. As Colin's parole hearing date drew closer, Olivia's thoughts were centering on him far more than usual. She nodded into his shirt. She felt safe here, wrapped in his powerful arms, with the warmth of his body seeping into her own.

"I love you, Liv. You and Tina are my entire world. I don't know what I would do without either of you, so believe me when I say I could never intentionally screw that up," he said, hoping his words carried the same feelings he carried in his heart.

"I just don't ever want to lose you because I think I might die without you," she replied.

"Not gonna happen, Baby. Not gonna happen," he replied.

"So you're coming home tonight?" she asked, finally pulling away from him.

"Only if my wife says it's ok," he replied with a smirk.

"Oh, I think she's ok with it," Olivia replied, punctuating her sentence with a grin.

XxXxX

"Hey," Tina said, swinging the door open. Eli stepped inside, pausing to kiss her on the cheek."So, I ordered pizza and salad from the place down the street," Tina told him, closing the door. Eli took a look at his drop dead gorgeous girlfriend, appreciating her choice in attire. The bow holding her halter top was just begging to be undone, and her bare back led him to assume she hadn't bothered with a bra.

"You look…amazing," he said, scanning her body. She smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, you know…you're pretty cute yourself," she said, taking in the leather jacket draped over a T-shirt just snug enough that she could see the hint of his muscular physiques underneath. The jeans he was wearing framed his ass in such a way that Tina could barely resist the urge to reach out and give it a good squeeze.

When the food arrived, the two of them settled on the couch with a roll of paper towels instead of plates. They were perfectly content to eat from the cardboard box and plastic bowl the food arrived in. They gossiped and giggled while they ate about school, friends, and their parents until Tina suggested they put on a movie. Eli had picked up the remote and was scrolling through movie titles in the Netflix menu, trying to find something for them to watch.

"Oh, hey! _Zombie Cheerleaders 7_! I wanted to see that one," Eli said, pressing 'play' on the remote.

"Really?" Tina asked, rolling her eyes. "Can't we watch _At the Mists End_? The book was really good."

"You want _me_ to watch a chick flick?" he asked.

"Hey," she said, giving him a playful jab in the arm. "There's no shame watching a chick flick as long as you're with your girlfriend at the time. Now, watching it by yourself…that's a totally different story."

"I'll tell you what. _Zombie Cheerleaders_, and next time, I promise, any chick flick you want," he bargained. Tina rolled her eyes again.

"It's a good thing you're so cute," she said. "Because I don't do blood and guts for just anyone. I just need a few minutes before we get started." Tina jumped off the couch and raced into her room, closing the door behind her. With a practiced ease, she administered her insulin injection, readjusted her top, and gave herself another check in the mirror before she returned to the couch where Eli was waiting.

"Insulin?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, settling back on the couch. "Now, where were we…"

"You agreed to _Zombie Cheerleaders_," he said, queuing up the movie. Barely five minutes into the horror flick, the first cheerleader was attacked, sending Tina straight into Eli's arms. She buried her head in his chest, shielding her eyes from the screen.

"Eli!" she cried, partially in annoyance, partially in fear.

"It's ok," he chuckled, reaching an arm around her. She couldn't see him with her eyes squeezed shut, but he was grinning from ear to ear. This was precisely the reason he wanted to watch a horror movie.

She relaxed after a few minutes, turning her head so one eye could see the screen. She lasted another few minutes before the next scare sent her buried in his shirt again. Eli rubbed his hand along her back, pushing her microbraids out of the way, under the pretense of comforting her, but he couldn't help but notice that she was, in fact, braless. He tried to stop his dick from responding, but damned if that thing would stay down. He shifted on the couch, trying to readjust his pants to a more comfortable position.

She was in a perfect position for him to kiss the top of her head, lightly. He peppered kisses on her, over her hair, on to her forehead. She twisted in his arms to look up at him with a grin on her face. He used his free hand to tilt her chin high enough that he could capture her lips. While the movie played behind them, completely forgotten, she let his tongue play with hers.

"This is what you really wanted, wasn't it," she said, swinging a leg over his and perching on his lap. His hands skimmed her sides, over the sides of her breasts, narrowing at her tiny waist, and flaring out again at her hips.

"Busted, I guess," he said, sporting a huge grin.

"You could have just said so in the first place," she said, leaning in to kiss him again. His hands roamed her body over her top.

"Oh, but it was so much more fun this way," he said between kisses.

"You are such an ass," she mumbled back. He twisted them on the couch so that she was on her back and he was on top of her. She loved the way he felt when he held her like this. So soft and so strong at the same time. She traced the outline of his chest through his shirt. Sensing her intention, he pulled the fabric up and over his head letting her have as much access as she wanted. He kissed along her jawline to her neck, feeling her twist her fingers into claws when he reach a certain point at the nape of her neck.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" he whispered. All she could do was moan in response. Tina felt a tingling between her legs. God, he was sexy, and he knew exactly where and how to touch her. His hands moved lower to the hem of her shirt, and she felt his fingers on her skin, sending jolts through her body.

"Can I?" he asked. Tina nodded hastily. He pushed the material over her flat stomach inch by inch, baring her to him.

"God, you're beautiful," he said, leaning down to pepper her tummy with soft kisses. His hands inched the fabric higher and higher, as his lips followed. He felt her hands run through his hair as he lavished attention on her exposed skin, feeling her writhe underneath him. Finally, he couldn't inch the top up any more. With a firm push, her naked breasts popped free, and she helped him by tugging the garment off completely.

"Wow," he breathed. He had felt her before, but this was the first time she had let him completely remove her top. He couldn't help himself. He bent down and immediately took a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. Tina cried out and arched off the couch. She panted from his attention as he continued his ministrations. When her left breast had been teased to a taut peak, he switched to the right, giving it the same, loving attention. He reached between his own legs again and adjusted the painful erection growing there. He needed her so badly. He took one of her dainty hands and placed it on top of it. At first she wasn't sure what to do, but she didn't pull away.

"Rub it," he said, without shift attention from her chest. She started with hesitant jerky movements. The instant her hand started to move, he groaned loudly. Gauging his reactions, she experimented until she found a pace that made him weak.

"God, I love you, Tina," he moaned.

"I love you, too. So much," she replied.

"I have protection, if you want to…you know…" he said. She was every bit as turned on as he was, and he wasn't going to let this situation pass by without at least trying. Tina came to her senses before he did. She stopped what she was doing and lifted his head to look in his eyes.

"I do, Eli, trust me, I do. I just…I'm not sure I'm ready," she said. He nodded. He knew she was a virgin. Hell, he was a virgin too, but he was absolute convinced he wanted her to be his first. What he didn't know was that Tina felt the exact same way.

"Ok, we don't have to," he said, leaning down to kiss at her neck again. Her head turned to the side, and she noticed the digital display on the cable box read 8:36.

"Oh, shit!" she said, jumping up and forcing him to do the same thing.

"What?" he asked, but she was already reaching for her shirt and throwing him his.

"My mom said she'd be home by 9:00," she said hastily. All of a sudden, he shared the same sense of urgency she did, tugging his clothes back on. By the time he got his jacket on, she was fully dressed again. He kissed her once more, mindful not to linger too long.

"Call me later?" he said.

"Absolutely," she replied. He quickly ducked out the door, eager to put distance between Tina's building and him before Olivia could spot him.

And when Olivia walked through the door twenty minutes later, she found a spotless living room and a pajama-clad Tina perched on the sofa with her nose in a book.

_**Looks like the Tutuola women drive a hard bargain. Both Fin AND Eli have been shot down in the last two chapters.**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Mr. Salzbury, where _is _your client?" Olivia asked. She was back in the precinct, where she had arranged to meet with Sweet Pea and her attorney over an hour ago.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied. He was a middle-aged man, but tall with a distinguished appearance reminiscent of David Haden with darker features. He pulled out his cell phone, thumbed a few buttons and waited. After a few minutes, he pocketed the device again. "Voicemail," he said.

"All right, if she won't come here, then we'll go to her," Olivia said, thoroughly annoyed at her complaining witness' lack of cooperation. In less than twenty minutes, she was on Sweet Pea's front stoop again accompanied by the attorney and Nick.

"Sweet Pea, it's Olivia Benson. I know you're in there. Open up!" she called through the closed front door. She looked around the stoop and notice the building had a garden apartment attached to it. She went down to the separate entrance and banged on the door.

"NYPD," she announced. The door opened to reveal none other than Audrey.

"Detective Benson? What can I do for you?" she asked.

"We need to talk to your boss. She was supposed to meet me at my office an hour and a half ago, and we haven't seen her. Any idea where she is?" Olivia asked. Audrey shook her head.

"It's my day off, but she should be home," Audrey explained.

"Well, she's not answering the door," Nick said, shutting her down. "Do you have a key?"

"Wait, no one answered? The housekeeper should be in," Audrey questioned.

"That's why we need the key. Audrey, we just want to make sure nothing's happened to her," Olivia added. Audrey seemed to hesitate.

"Just a second," she said. She disappeared into her apartment and returned a minute later, with a full key ring in hand. "I'll let you in, but that's it. I'm not putting my job on the line for violating her privacy."

"Thank you," Olivia said as the group headed up the stoop. Audrey deftly unlocked the front door and opened it. She excused herself and returned to her own apartment, leaving the three of them alone.

"Jenna?" Olivia called inside. The lack of sound was deafening. The entire house felt still. Nick and Olivia had the attorney wait in the living room while they swept the townhouse. Olivia cleared the first floor and second floor, but heard music when she reached the top of stairs to the third floor.

"Jenna?" she called again, moving towards the sound. She reached the door to the master bedroom, finding it open slightly. "Jenna?" she called a third time, cautiously pushing the door open. She gasped as she saw Jenna's body sprawled on the bed, with her head at the foot, and her arm dangling off to the side, completely still. What she also saw was a needle, obviously used, laying on the nightstand.

"Damn it," Olivia yelled, rushing towards Jenna. "Nick, call a bus!" she yelled towards the open door. "Jenna, Jenna, Sweetie, come on," Olivia coaxed, feeling Jenna's neck for a pulse. Her body shifted weakly.

"Ughf…" she moaned.

"Jenna, come on, stay with me, Honey. Stay with me," Olivia coached.

"Boogie…man…" Jenna moaned.

"What about him, Jenna? Who is he?" Olivia asked.

"No…Boogie…"Jenna stumbled again.

"Who is he, Jenna? Who's the Boogieman?" she asked again.

"Jase…" she said. Her body went limp again, and the struggle vanished from her prone form.

XxXxX

Jenna had been rushed to the emergency room where a tox screen showed that she had overdosed on heroin. Olivia found herself in another plush, private room, this time at Presbyterian Hospital, waiting for either Jenna to wake up or for Siobhan McConnell to arrive. Either way, she wasn't about to leave Jenna alone. While she waited, she sorted through the pile of files of information on the case. She was digging through Sweet Pea's background, looking for anyone who might be the "Jase" to which Sweet Pea had referred to earlier.

What she had discovered was that when Jenna was about sixteen-years-old, there was a period of about thirty days where Jenna dropped off the radar. There were no newpaper blurbs, no new releases, no video shootings, nothing. It was as if she had simply vanished. At the end of that time period, Jenna's entire staff had been replaced, including her manager, Jason Zimmer.

"Mom?" Jenna called weakly after nearly six hours.

"She's not here yet," Olivia said softly, pulling a chair next to the bed. Jenna sighed and closed her eyes. But Olivia stayed with Jenna. Whether it was her seventeen years as a mother or nearly thirty years as a cop, she was able to get Jenna to open up to her. Once Jenna stopped talking, she couldn't stop until the story was told. She told Olivia about her first manager, Jason Zimmer, who had a knack for turning no names into icons. But Jason had a price. In addition to his standard manager's fee, he liked sexual favors from his young clients. The farther a girl was willing to go, the higher she found herself on the charts. Before long, Jenna needed a way to block the experience from her mind, so she turned to heroin. After an overdose, shortly before her seventeenth birthday, her parents had discovered the truth about Jason Zimmer. He was quietly dismissed, while Jenna went to rehab, and close friends and family members were put in place around her to ensure her protection. But, the entire thing had been wrapped in a non-disclosure agreement that Jenna had been terrified to break. Siobhan McConnell had arrived halfway through the story, but she hadn't tried to shut Jenna down. In the end, Olivia was certain that Siobhan had wanted to story to come out somehow. Olivia left Jenna in the safety of her mother's care.

Nick and Olivia arrested Jason Zimmer that night and extracted a confession for the acts he committed against Jenna as a minor. Even though he lawyered up, they had enough for a DNA sample, which Warner confirmed matched the sample in the rape kit. All that remained was for Zimmer to go to trial.

"Hey," Fin said, shaking Olivia awake. Cragen had ordered her to take a nap in the Crib before she tried venturing home, having worked the Sweet Pea case for nearly three days from the time of the overdose until Zimmer's arrest and confession. "You got him," Fin said softly with a smile.

"Yeah," Olivia said almost dreamily, returning the smile and stretching on the uncomfortable cot. "What's going on?" she asked with a yawn.

"Well, Tina called. Apparently, there some dire emergency with the swim team, and she wants to spend the night at Lauren's," he informed her.

"Swim team emergency, huh? Did she happen to give you anything more?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrow.

"She said something about new uniforms…razor backs…flybacks…I have no idea," he added with chuckle.

"Racer back," Olivia corrected with a giggle. "It's the width of the straps on the swimsuit. I guess maybe I've been a 'swim mom' for too long." Fin shrugged and shook his head. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her she could go. Because I want a night alone with my beautiful wife who I've barely seen in three days," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. He tasted of fresh mint and coffee, and Olivia wrapped an arm around him to pull him closer.

"Mmmm…that sounds nice," Olivia replied, keeping her lips inches from his. "When are you off?"

"Now, actually. That's why I came up here to get you. Cragen wants you to take the weekend off," Fin explained.

"That's not…" Olivia protested.

"Well, since he gave _me_ the weekend off too, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, smile, and enjoy it," Fin said, with a smile. Olivia couldn't refuse. The latest case had eaten up far more of her family time that it should have. She might even have a chance to take Tina shopping for her Homecoming dress this weekend.

The minute Olivia stepped foot in her apartment, she made a beeline for her bedroom, eager to slip into a pair of worn cotton pajama pants and one of Fin's baggy NYPD T-shirts that had been worn so many times that the logo was barely legible. Fin turned on the TV in the living room, careful to keep the volume low while Olivia sank into the softness of their bed wrapped in blankets tainted by familiar scents. Fin found a strange comfort knowing his wife was sleeping peacefully, mere feet from him. He watched the first half of a recorded Knicks game and realized dinner time was rapidly approaching. He grinned at the idea of Olivia waking up, bleary eyed with matted hair, shuffling out of the bedroom to an already prepared home-cooked meal. With that in mind, he surveyed the refrigerator for options. Unfortunately, Olivia could run circles around him in the kitchen, as his repertoire was fairly limited and hers had expanded considerably since she had a family to feed.

He could, however, make a mean steak. He extracted two ribeyes and set to work on his "special blend" of herbs and spices. In addition to that, he put on a pot of water to boil and peeled potatoes to make a small amount of garlic mashed potatoes. While he was perfectly content to eat nothing but meat and potatoes, he knew his wife would disagree. She had to have some sort of vegetable on at least half of her plate, or she wasn't happy. He rooted around in the produce drawer, which was well-stocked between his wife's and his daughter's health conscious eating habits. He decided to do a medley of carrots, zuchinni, and summer squash.

As the potatoes cooked and the steak sizzled, he turned his attention to the vegetables. Olivia could do this in no time at all, but he was painfully slow as he slowly cut the vegetables in carefully measured sliced. Even with all the care in the world, they were still nowhere close to even. As he was on his third carrot, he heard movement from the other side of the living room. Sure enough, Olivia had appeared, still barefoot, in her ratty, oversized pajamas, mussed hair, and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He thought she had never looked more gorgeous.

"Hey, Sleepyhead. How are you feelin'?" he asked. A smile crept across her face.

"Like I just slept for a week," she said as she headed for the kitchen. She slipped her arms around his waist behind him and kissed his cheek. "That smells good," she said, inhaling the aroma from the kitchen.

"Thanks. Steaks are firing, potatoes are working, veggies up next. How does that sound?" he told her. She looked at the butchered veggies on the cutting board in front of him. Fin's knife skills had never been very good.

"Do you want a hand with that?" Olivia asked, stroking his belly, enjoying the feeling of being pressed up against him.

"No, no. You go sit. I got this, Babe," he said, laying the carrot down, picking up the knife, and beginning his painfully slow process. Olivia cringed because he was holding the carrot in such a way that his fingers could very easily end up meeting the knife blade. She covered his hand holding the knife with her own, and gently took it from him.

"I'll take care of this, Honey. Why don't you go watch the game?" she suggested, patting his back and making it blatantly obvious that she wasn't going to back down from this. Fin chuckled, knowing how possessive his wife was about her kitchen.

"Ok, but I'm going to keep you company if you insist on finishing this yourself, and I wanna be in charge of dessert," he told her. She smiled into the cutting board.

"I think that's a fair compromise," she said with a giggle.

"So, you _have_ to hear the latest news," Fin said, imitating Tina. "Lauren has a _major_ crush on Jeremy, and Tina's doing everything she can to get Jeremy to ask Lauren to the dance, only Stacey thinks that Jeremy likes Tina instead, but he doesn't know she's dating Eli." Olivia laughed.

"It's shame our daughter's such an outcast, isn't it?" Olivia said sarcastically with a chuckle.

"Pity," Fin said in agreement.

"And exactly how long has the Lauren-Jeremy drama been going on?"

"About a week. See what you miss when you're baby-sitting the rich and famous?" he asked.

"You know, everyone has been so quick to judge her, but behind the glitz and the glamour is a scared little girl who's had to live her life at the scrutiny of the general public. If it had been Tina, I probably would have been just as much of a bitch as Siobhan McConnell was," Olivia confessed. She transferred the now perfectly sliced veggies into a sauté pan, added some seasoning, and let them sit.

"Be honest. Through that whole case, you were having a rough time with distance," he said.

"She just reminded me so much of Tina," Olivia said, shaking her head, as she stirred the potatoes, checking them for doneness. "I mean, can you imagine if, say, Tina's swim coach was forcing her into blow jobs in order to get the races she wanted?"

"Yeah, because Lisa Forrester would ask for a blow job. I hear they're very popular with the ladies these days," Fin replied snidely. Olivia grabbed a towed from the oven handle and flung it in Fin's general direction.

"You know what I mean," she replied smartly.

"How's she holding up, anyway?" Fin asked. Olivia shrugged.

"Ok, I guess. One of her sisters is staying in town in case she needs moral support, and she's agreed to rehab. She told me she made a mistake by picking up that syringe, so I think she'll be ok," Olivia answered. Fin fiddled with the towel Olivia had thrown at him. There were words lingering on his lips, but he wasn't sure how she would take them, and he didn't want to ruin a perfectly good evening with her.

"Liv?" he asked softly. "Have you given any more thought to the parole hearing?" Olivia sighed, and stopped pushing the veggies around with the spatula for a second.

"Yeah. I don't think I'm going to go," she told him. Fin nodded slowly. He had expected this response from her long before now. "Before you say anything, I still haven't completely decided. Honestly Fin, I don't think I'm going to decide until I absolutely have to. If you had asked me this a week ago, I would have told you I was probably going to go. It depends on if I can handle it or not one the actual day." Fin didn't answer her right away. Instead, he considered her words, listening to them, and understanding exactly where she was coming from. Even if she didn't make it to the hearing, she had still come farther towards facing Joseph Colin than she ever had before.

"These are ready," Olivia said, poking at the steaks and trying to turn Fin's attention away from Joseph Colin. Fin pulled two plates out of the cabinet and handed them to Olivia one at a time, who in turn, filled them with food. They enjoyed their meal at the table, filling the time with small talk.

When they finished, Olivia gathered the plates, silverware, and cups and carried them back to the kitchen. As she walked away, Fin's eyes fell to the sway of her hips, framing her ass, practically begging for his touch. It amazed him that even after all these years, she could get him harder than a pre-pubescent boy. He adjusted himself briefly before heading into the kitchen, enjoying the view again as she bent over to load the dishes into the dishwasher. The neck in the shirt she was wearing had stretched out so much over the years that he was now enjoying a clear view of her naked breasts underneath. She pushed the rack in, added soap, and turned the dishwasher on. Fin swallowed hard. He wanted her, and he wanted her _now._ But instead of turning her attention towards him, she turned the sink on. Olivia was paranoid about anything happening to her Teflon cookware, so she always washed her pots and pans by hand.

While she waited, Fin made his decision. She had consented to letting him be in charge of dessert, and he had just figured out what he wanted on the menu. He walked up behind her and shut the water off, effectively pinning her against the counter.

"Leave it," he whispered, his voice low and husky. He slipped his arms around her waist, rubbing her from her sides around to her stomach. Olivia sighed and closed her eyes, taking a moment to enjoy his touch.

"I can't believe you're turned on while I look like this," she said with a chuckle, leaning back into him. His lips found her pulse point on her neck and he sucked on her, eliciting a slight moan.

"You turn me on in anything," he whispered as his teeth lightly grazed her tender skin. His left hand found its way under the hem of her shirt and travelled up to her right breast. He took his time with her, tracing the swollen flesh softly and delicately while his right hand remained firmly planted on her hip. He felt her arch her back out of instinct, pressing her head farther into his shoulder and her breast farther into his hand. He traced the flesh, feeling it ripple with goosebumps as he methodically worked his way inward. She raised her right hand, planting it behind his head to draw his mouth closer to her. His thumb brushed over her nipple, and he felt her shudder in response.

"I've got you, Liv," he whispered. His hand moved from her waist to slip beneath her waistband. It traveled over her mound and through her tangle of curls, already damp in anticipation. He glanced over her shoulder, down her clothed body, and the sight of his hand moving inside her pants caused his erection to stiffen even more. He wanted to bend her over that countertop and slam into her until he felt some sort of relief, but he wouldn't do that. He needed her to take just as much pleasure in this as he would.

"Fin," she sighed into him, thrusting her pelvis forward into his hand. His middle finger found her slit, already wet with her arousal. He gathered some of the moisture, moving it around, lubricating every inch of her most intimate place. Her legs had spread as wide as they could in her current position, and she was thrusting towards him, seeking more contact where she needed it. His thumb brushed her clit briefly as his hand traveled lower. He teased the flesh around her entrance, running circles around it, but never penetrating her.

"More," she breathed, rocking her hips forward again. He entered her with one finger, up to the first knuckle, teasing her with his in and out movements. She groaned in frustration as he refused to touch the parts of her that she needed him to touch. Finally, he thrust harder inside her, feeling the spongy tissue of her center. As he made contact, she squealed and thrust forward harder, nearly rolling out of his arms in the process. Fortunately, his left arm was still firmly wrapped around her, playing with her chest. When she calmed, he added a second finger to the first, and let him thumb join in, rubbing her clit in a pattern he had memorized long ago. Before long, she slackened in his arms, surrendering to the delicious sensations his touches were sending throughout her body.

"Oh, God, Fin…oh, God…" she panted. He knew she was close. He had originally intended to ratchet her up and move her to the bedroom, but now that she was slack in his arms, writhing in pleasure, desperately seeking release, well, it was just too much. His throbbing erection would have to wait. Right now, all he wanted was to get her off.

He added a third finger to the mix, playing her sensitive flesh in a pattern that only he knew after years of experience. Her touches turned to clawing whatever flesh she could reach, which happened to be his forearms. He would have marks in the morning.

And he couldn't have cared less.

"Fin…" fell from her lips again, begging, pleading with him as she arched farther in his hand. Every nerve in her was firing like a live electric wire. He missed the days when she used to beg him like this, beg him to take her to that place of pure and total bliss. He felt her body clamp and shudder around him as she shouted his name again. He eased her through the aftershocks as her body continued to quake within his arms.

"I think I know what you want for dessert," she panted, coming down from her high. He pulled his hands from under her clothes, scooped her up, and carried her into the bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed, still mussed from where she was sleeping earlier. He stroked her face gently, drinking in every minute detail of her features. The history of their life together was etched out on the pattern of her face, but her eyes…her deep, chocolate eyes that shifted from milk to dark with her arousal were still the same intoxicating feature they always were. All it took was as a look or a squint or a raise of the eyebrow, and he could read her mood instantly.

And right now, she wanted to get laid.

And he was only too happy to oblige.

Looking back, neither of them would remember exactly how they got into a state of undress, but it wasn't long until they had worked themselves into an animal like frenzy. Olivia's orgasm in the kitchen had only served to prime her, and the erection between Fin's legs had reached a point of nearly being painful. Every sound that drifted from Olivia's lips was going straight to his groin, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take without relief.

Fin had stroked and teased and palmed Olivia's flesh to the point where even the slightest touch was sending shivers throughout her body. Fin wondered if he should push his luck with her. He debated long and hard while he worshipped her body with his lips. She had wanted to change things up, but the last time he tried that had been a fiasco. Of course, he had also tried the one thing she had been perfectly clear was off limits from the first time he pulled her clothes off.

Presently, she was lying on her side with her leg draped over Fin's head and shoulders while he traced every inch of her brand with his tongue. He kissed his way higher on her thigh, towards the intoxicating aroma that was all Olivia. He kissed his way up higher and higher until he reached her center. Deciding it was well worth the risk, he ran his tongue along her slit, savoring every note in her unique flavor.

"…Fin?" Olivia asked hesitantly.

"Hm?" he replied, without severing his connection to her.

"You don't have to do that…" she said, punctuating her statement with a moan as his tongue swiped past her clit. "Oh!" she cried, clutching the pillow.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked as his tongue continued its torturous path along her flesh. Olivia's mouth hung open to halt him, but another small jolt sent her moaning instead. "I'll stop if you want me to, but right now, I'm really enjoying my dessert. He shifted, angling his own pelvis closer to her mouth, but still far enough away that she wouldn't be intimidated or threatened in any way.

"Ah…oh, God, Fin…" she cried, clutching the pillow to the point where he was sure they would be covered in feathers before long.

"I'm going to ask you again. Do you want me to stop?" he asked. He let his finger toy with her entrance again, joining his tongue in bringing her pleasure.

"Noooo…." she moaned, surrendering to him. He shifted again, as her mouth hung open. She extracted her fingers from the pillow she was clinging to to reach out and stroke his rock hard manhood, which had moved closer to eye level and easily within reach. As her soft fingers stroked his length, it took every ounce of self-control he had not to slam into her. He thrust into her with his finger, letting at least one part of his body do what another desperately wanted to. Even still, he shifted even closer, until he was close enough that he could feel her hot breath on his straining erection.

Olivia continued to stroke him, wrapping her hand around him and swirling the precum with her thumb. He inserted another finger in her and she nearly came undone. Her head fell forward in response, and her lips grazed his sensitive tip.

"Do what feels good," he said, communicating to her that he didn't expect her to reciprocate, but the door was wide open if she wanted to. He started to stretch her with a third finger, driving her even higher when he felt her lips wrap around the tip of his dick.

He smiled as he tongued her flesh. He couldn't resist. Even just the tip in her warm, intoxicating mouth felt incredible. She was hesitant at first, taking just the tip, letting her lips play over the sensitive ridge just beyond the head. God, she remembered how much she used to love this, to have the power to bring a man to the brink of insanity using nothing but her mouth. He tasted salty, but pleasant. Her lips started to slide farther down him, bathing him in saliva. He groaned against her sensitive flesh, sending another wave of pleasure through her. It wasn't long before she surrendered to her own desires, pumping him with her hand while pulsing with her mouth.

"Liv…Liv…" he said, knowing he couldn't last long. "Liv, Baby, I'm about to..."

"You can if you want to," she answered. Instead, he pulled away from her, maneuvering himself so he was eye level with her again. He gently rolled her on her back and settled between her legs.

"I wanna be inside you when it happens so I can watch your beautiful face," he told her, slowly pushing into her. She was incredibly relaxed and open, so she adjusted easily to his size. He started to move slowly and evenly, the way he knew she like it, but she surprised him once again. She rolled them and lifted her body to ride him until the both came together hard.

XxXxX

"Oh, hey, Jeremy," Lauren said into the phone, trying to sound casual, but she couldn't stop herself from looking like her heart was about to pound out of her chest while sporting a wide grin. The excitement was infectious, and Tina bounced slightly on Lauren's bed, hoping Jeremy would finally ask Lauren to Homecoming. Instead the smile slowly disappeared from Lauren's face, and she glared at Tina in a look that could only mean one thing – she wanted to killTina.

"Um, well, she's sort of dating someone at the moment," Lauren said into the phone. Tina's giddy expression shifted to anxious as she furrowed her brow. Jeremy was _supposed_ to ask Lauren to the dance, but clearly, he didn't quite understand that.

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll see you in school," Lauren finally said. She hung up the phone, and launched it right at Tina.

"_What!?"_ Tina asked incredulously.

"You bitch! I thought you were supposed to be my best friend!" Lauren screamed as she shook with fury.

"I am! What happened?" Tina yelled back.

"What, it's not enough that you have Eli? You have to have Jeremy, too?" Lauren screamed back.

"I didn't do anything! I told him how awesome you are, and I suggested that he ask you to the dance, like you asked me to," Tina yelled back.

"Then why did he call and ask me what you would say if he asked _you!" _Lauren wailed, pointing an accusatory finger at Tina. Tina was dumbfounded. She opened her mouth a few times to say something, but couldn't.

"Girls, girls, what on earth is all the screaming about?" Lauren's mother asked as she opened the door to Lauren's bedroom.

"Tina flirted with a guy she _knew _I liked!" Lauren yelled.

"I did not!" Tina answered back.

"Ok, calm down!" Lauren's mother interrupted. "Lauren, deep breath and tell me – without yelling – what happened."

"My best friend just stabbed me in the back," Lauren said coldly.

"Forget it. I'm not going to deal with this," Tina said, grabbing her duffel bag. "When you get over yourself, call me, but I swear to God, I didn't do anything." Tina pushed past Lauren's mother. "I'm going home, Mrs. Martin. Thanks for the pizza." Tina barreled out of the apartment, and Mrs. Martin let her go. One of the advantages to living in the same building is there was no need to worry about Tina getting home safely should the girls have some sort of disagreement.

Tina punched the button on the elevator, still fuming. She couldn't believe her best friend would think that she had intentionally stolen Jeremy away from her. She was absolutely crazy about Eli, and he was the only one she had any interest in being more than friends with. The elevator seemed to take forever to get to the tenth floor, but truth be told, she was half expecting, half hoping that Lauren would come running after her. Instead, the elevator came, and there was no sign of Lauren. By the time she got to the sixth floor, she had resigned herself to the fact that Lauren was going to need some time to fume first. Maybe after she realized what really happened, Tina could have her friend back.

XxXxX

"Wow," Fin said as he rolled off Liv. "I think someone is rediscovering her inner sex kitten." Olivia grinned as she propped herself up on an elbow, placing a hand on his chest.

"I'm trying, Baby," she told him.

"I know, and that's one of the many, many reasons I love you," he said, bringing a hand to her mussed hair and stroking it softly. She leaned down and kissed him, letting her hair spill onto the sides of his face. She smelled of an intoxicating mix of coconut and vanilla, and his groin started to respond to her touches again.

"You're killin' me, Liv," he said between kisses. She lifted the covers and looked down at his crotch, causing her to raise an eyebrow. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she hopped off the bed, leaving a very puzzled Fin behind.

"Where are you going? We were just getting started," he said.

"You promised me dessert, and I didn't get it," she said, pulling Fin's button down over her body.

"Seriously? You want _food?" _he asked.

"I want a Fin sundae," she said with a smirk. "Be right back!" Fin settled back into the pillows letting his mind process the image of a naked Olivia with a can of whipped cream. Olivia scampered into the kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator, and extracted what she was looking for almost immediately. As her hand closed around the canister, she heard the front door open. She stood up quickly, as Fin's shirt barely covered her when she stood straight up, but left very little to the imagination.

"Hi, Mom," Tina said glumly, dropping her bag next to the door.

"Tina," Olivia practically squeaked. "What are you doing home?" She pulled on the hem of the shirt, trying fruitlessly to pull it lower on her body.

"Lauren and I had a fi—" Tina said, stopping short when she finally looked at her mother. It wasn't Olivia's attire that had stopped her in her tracks; it was the semi-hidden pattern of scars on Olivia's inner right thigh that Tina couldn't recall ever seeing before. Though it was partially obscured by Olivia's left leg, the symbol was obvious. "What is that?" she asked bluntly. "Is that a…a _swastika_ on your leg?" The look on Tina's face nearly broke Olivia's heart. Her daughter looked absolutely crushed. Olivia swallowed hard.

"It's not what you think," Olivia told her.

"You have the most notorious symbol of hate branded on your body, and _I'm_ the one who doesn't understand? Oh, I think I understand perfectly, Mom. Is this why you hated Sha'Niqua? Because she was black? But Eli…Eli and Lauren are both white, and you love them. Guess what, Mom, I'm half-black! Do you hate me too?" Tina yelled.

"Tina, stop it right now! Of course I don't hate you. I love you more than anyone else in the world," Olivia told her in a tone that Tina knew meant business.

"What about Dad? Do you hate him too?" Tina yelled.

"What is going on out here!?" Fin's voice boomed from the bedroom doorway, where he stood clad in a pair of worn black sweatpants.

"Mom's a racist!" Tina cried. The expression on her face was enough to convince both of them that the perfect image of her mother had just been completely shattered.

_**Just how stubborn is Olivia? Is she finally going to come clean to Tina, or would she rather her daughter hate her than know the truth?**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Fin looked from Tina to Olivia, who was still holding the can of whipped cream. He scanned his wife from head to toe, seeing what the scars on her thigh lit up like neon signs. His eyes met Olivia's, and without saying a word, he knew what she was thinking. She wanted to keep hiding her secret from Tina, but at this point, Tina was either going to find out the truth or think that the worst of her mother.

"Olivia, go put some clothes on. Tina, take your bag to your room, and then come out here. We need to talk," he said calmly.

"No! I'm not staying here with…with…that!" Tina yelled, pointing disgustedly at Olivia's leg. She picked up her duffel, slung it over her shoulder and got as far as putting her hand on the doorknob before Fin cut her off.

"Tina," he began, determined not to lose his temper with her. Tina recoiled, anger pouring off her.

"How can you stand to live here? How can you share a bedroom with a woman who despises us? Huh!?" Tina yelled.

"Tina, I mean it. Go put your stuff away, and we will talk," Fin said calmly and evenly. He glared at her to tell her he meant business. Tina swallowed hard, but she was determined to stand her ground.

"Tina, Honey…" Olivia began. She reached out to take her daughter's arms to force her to look at her, but Tina jerked hard. Before Olivia could process what had happen, Tina raised her free hand, bringing it hard against Olivia's cheek. Olivia's hand flew to the injured flesh, and her jaw dropped as she stared at her daughter in shock. The instant Fin heard the sound of skin on skin, he jerked Tina hard, pressing her against the wall as if she was one of his perps.

"You listen to me, and you listen good. You will NEVER raise a hand to your mother again, do you hear me?" Now it was Tina's turn for her jaw to drop. She stared at her father in absolute dis belief. "I swear to God, Tina, you may be my daughter, but you will never see the light of day again if you so much as THINK about pulling a stunt like that, do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, Dad," Tina squeaked. She had seen him lose his temper before, but never like this, and never directed at her.

"Good," he said, releasing his grip on her. "Now, you march your ass into your room, put your stuff away, and get right back out here."

"But Dad," Tina started.

"GO!" he boomed. Tina flinched, but quickly picked up her bag and scurried into her room. Fin turned his attention to Olivia who was still standing in the kitchen in absolute shock at what had just played out in front of her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, examining her cheek.

"I'm fine," she whispered. "She didn't hit me that hard."

"She shouldn't have hit you at all," Fin told her.

"Fin, we can't tell her," Olivia said, her voice barely more than a whisper. He placed his hands on her upper arms.

"It's time, Liv," he whispered to her. He kissed her on the forehead and gently nudged her back towards their bedroom. She reappeared, having thrown on a pair of pajama pants in addition to the shirt she had grabbed earlier.

"Tina! Come back out here," Fin called towards her room.

"She doesn't need to know about this," Olivia insisted again.

"Yes, she does. Come over here," Fin said, patting the cushion next to him on the couch. Olivia sat, not wanting to fight with him. "Either we tell her about her brave, selfless mother, or she continues to think you're no better than Adam or Joseph. Which would you prefer?"

"Neither," Olivia said.

"Well, I don't think that's an option anymore," he said. Tina stomped out into the living room and perched in an armchair, Indian style, crossing her arms over her chest. Olivia instinctively reached for Fin's hand and clasped it between both of hers.

"Well?" Tina asked with a scowl.

"Ok, first of all, drop the attitude. I know you're pissed, but that doesn't give you the right to pull this garbage," Fin scolded. Tina rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms, but said nothing more.

"Fine," Tina answered, with a slight hint of annoyance. Fin took a deep breath, but now that the time had arrived, he wasn't sure where to begin.

"Tina, do you remember the nightmares you had the last time you were in the hospital?" Olivia asked. Tina nodded. "You told me – several times – that they felt real."

"Yeah, and every time you said they were just a dream," Tina replied.

"They're more than a dream," Fin explained. "They're probably your earliest memories. You see, when you were just about four years old, two men named Adam and Joseph Colin broke into our apartment. They abducted all three of us and locked us in the basement of a gas station in Jersey. I did my best to shield you from most of it, but they did some horrible things to your mother."

"Like what?" Tina asked softly. Fin took a moment to look at Olivia. He could practically feel the embarrassment she was radiating.

"They raped her, Tina," he said as gently as he could. "And they branded her. Right there," he said, pointing to her now clothed thigh.

"How…did they…was I…" Tina stammered.

"No. As far as we were able to tell, they only thing they did to you was shave your head," Olivia said, finally joining the conversation. "But you were separated from us for a while, and that time was…" Olivia's eyes grew moist as she recalled the horrors she had experienced. Tina unconsciously fingered her waist-length hair.

"Is that why you never wanted me to cut my hair?" she asked softly, remembering a time when she was almost 8 years old, and she had wanted to cut her hair off. She remembered being in the salon, with the stylist just ready to make the first cut, and Olivia had stopped her at the last possible second.

"Yeah," Olivia admitted.

"Tina, what those men did to your mother…I still have a hard time thinking about it. And that mark on her leg reminds me of every damn thing, but I also remember that she would have died to protect both of us. So, when I see it, that's what I think of. I think of how much pain she suffered so that we didn't have to," Fin explained.

"Whatever happened to the guys that did this?" Tina asked.

"Adam Colin was killed when we were rescued, and Joseph is currently in Rikers," Fin answered. He left out the part that Joseph had less than a year on his sentence. That part, he would tell Tina when the time was right.

"Why did they pick us?" Tina asked.

"Because I fell in love with a black man and gave birth to an interracial child," Olivia answered simply. Tina sat silently, trying to process everything that she had just been told. There were so many questions in her head, but she couldn't quite form the words to ask them.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Olivia asked. Tina shook her head slowly.

"No. No, I think…I just want to be alone," she said.

"Ok, Baby. If you think of anything you want to ask, we're here," Fin said.

"Can I go now?" Tina asked, feeling very uncomfortable with the entire situation.

"Sure," Olivia said, and as soon as she gave the word, Tina bolted for her bedroom, closing the door securely behind her. Once inside the safety of her personal sanctuary, she lowered herself to the floor, and let the tears inside her fall freely. She adored her mom, and the instant she had seen such a notorious hate symbol on her thigh, it had frightened her more than she was ready to admit. For just a minute, she thought there was a chance that her mother might actually believe that white people were better than other races. But now that she knew the truth, she wondered if the alternative was any better.

When there was nothing left in her to cry, she changed into her pajamas and tucked herself into bed. She picked up her Kindle, as was her usual bedtime custom, but flipping through the library of books she had saved, she wasn't finding anything she was particularly in the mood to read. She set the device back on her nightstand, turned off her bedside light, and laid in the darkness trying to make sense of her thoughts until a fitful sleep finally claimed her.

But Tina wasn't the only Tutuola wrestling with the events of the evening. In the next room, Olivia was beginning to doubt decisions she had been so sure of fifteen years ago. Her maternal desire to protect Tina led her to hide the truth, but now that it had come out, she was beginning to second guess herself.

"I think I should go check on her," Olivia said, still pacing the room to work off her nervous energy that accompanied guilt.

"Leave her be," Fin replied. "When she's ready to talk, she'll talk. If you try to force the issue, she'll just pull away even more."

"I know, but…" Olivia countered, running a hand through her hair.

"But nothing. Now, come over here," he said, patting her side of the bed. Defeated, Olivia climbed into bed next to her husband. She let him wrap his arms around her while she rested her head on his chest. "She's tough, like her mother. She'll be ok," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"Do you think we did the right thing? Hiding it from her all these years?" she asked. She was pretty sure he would argue with her, since he had always hated hiding the truth from Tina, but she was surprised by his answer.

"She forgot. Maybe her brain tried to protect her from it, and you just went right along with it. I wish this wasn't how she found out, but I'm glad she knows now," he said as diplomatically as possible. He paused, not sure if he should add the rest of his thought. "Especially now that Colin's back up for parole," he added before his brain could stop his mouth from speaking the words.

"You really think me being there is going to make a difference?" she asked softly. He sighed.

"I think…that you can appeal to the parole board in a way that I can't. It just might be the difference between whether he gets out or not.

"Ok," she answered. When it looked like she wasn't going to continue, Fin prodded her.

"Ok, you'll go, or ok, you understand?" he asked.

"Ok, I'm still thinking about it," she told him. She yawned into his chest, reminding both of them that it had been a long day for everyone.

"Ok, Baby Girl, let's get some sleep," he said, kissing her head once more. She moved back to her side of the bed while he placed the body pillow between them.

XxXxX

"_Tina, run!" Olivia yelled. But she couldn't. Tina tried to lift her feet from the floor, but they just wouldn't move. A vaguely human form in black robes emerged behind her mother, and dragged her to the ground._

"_Ahhh….Tina….run!" she screamed. Olivia fell forward on her hands and knees, and a glistening kitchen knife that seemed entirely too shiny, protruded from her back. Her shirt was matted with blood, and a grotesque, decomposing hand appeared from underneath the black robes and tugged on Olivia's pants, tearing them clean off. While Olivia was positioned so that Tina couldn't see exactly what was happening, she could see her face._

"_Mom!" she cried. She tried again to move towards the monster that had Olivia. Olivia screamed again. Suddenly, a massive form tackled her. "Mom! Help me, Mom!" _

"_Tina, we have to go," the form said, who sounded suspiciously like her father._

"_Dad, Dad…you have to help her!" Tina cried. "You have to help Mom."_

"_There's nothing we can do for her. We have to go," he said again, trying to drag her away from…wherever here was. Another scream punctuated the room._

"_He's going to kill Mom!" she cried._

"_He'll kill you next if we don't leave. No, go!" Fin told her again._

"_I'm not leaving without Mom!" she cried. "I'm not…_

"…leaving without her!" Tina cried, thrashing around in her bed. Olivia's eyes snapped open at the sound of her child in distress, and she jostled the bed more than she meant to in her haste.

"Liv…whus wrong?" Fin mumbled.

"Tina's having a nightmare. Go back to sleep," she told him gently. Fin mumbled something unintelligible and buried his head back into the pillow. Olivia raced to the next room, not breaking her stride until she was standing over her daughter, shaking her awake.

"Wake up, Tina. Wake up, Sweetie," she said, nudging Tina. Tina's eyes flew open, and her mom's familiar face hovering over her came into view. "It's ok, Honey."

"Mom!" Tina cried, bolting up and throwing her arms around Olivia with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, shhh, shhh…everything's ok, Honey. Everything's ok," she said, rocking Tina and stroking her back.

"He had you, Mom! He was trying to kill you, and…and I couldn't stop it. Mom!" she cried, still sobbing.

"Shhh….Tina, it was just a bad dream. That's all it was," Olivia soothed.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry I called you a racist, and…and…I'm sorry that I…I…hit…" Tina sobbed, still reeling from the images that had been so clear in her mind.

"I know, Baby. It's ok. I know you didn't mean it. Shhh…." Olivia continued to soothe. For a brief moment, other than the fact that her daughter had the body of a young adult, it felt like Tina was a little girl again.

"You know, Tina, I think we have some chamomile tea out in the kitchen. Why don't I make you some, and you can tell me all about your nightmare," Olivia suggested, once Tina started to calm down.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good," Tina said, still slightly breathless. Olivia put an arm around her daughter's shoulders and walked with her out to the kitchen. Tina took a seat at the bar while Olivia put the kettle on the stove.

"So," Olivia said, leaning over the counter as she waited. "Sounds like this one was pretty bad."

"Yeah, this…this thing was trying to kill you. And then Dad was there…but he was trying to pull me away, and I didn't want to leave you there. But he told me there was nothing we could do," Tina said, trying to recall the images. "I guess it doesn't make much sense, does it?" But Olivia knew better. It made perfect sense to her.

"Your brain was probably just trying to make sense of everything that happened last night. But, Sweetheart, we're safe now. Joseph Colin will never be able to touch us again," Olivia said. Olivia pulled the kettle off the stove and poured hot water into two mugs containing tea bags. She reached into Tina's drawer and pulled out a packet of artificial sweetener and added honey to her own cup. "Now, what exactly happened with Lauren?" Tina rolled her eyes, but appreciated the change in subject.

"Oh my God, Mom, it's the stupidest thing ever. So, Lauren has this MAJOR crush on Jeremy, right? And she asked me to find out if he liked her because he sits next to me in History. So, I talked to him, told him how AMAZING Lauren is, and I give him her number so he can call her and as her to Homecoming. So, last night, he calls her, but he asks her what I would say if he asked _me_ to the dance. And Lauren FREAKED! She threw her cell phone at me and accused me of stabbing her in the back," Tina said in her usual teenage chatter.

"But you're going with Eli, right?" Olivia asked.

"_Yes! _You'd think Lauren would have realized that, but no! She was pissed at me because Jeremy _thought_ about asking me instead of her," Tina explained.

"I'm sure she was just hurt. Give her some time. You girls have been friends for far too long to let something like this end it all," Olivia said.

"I know she'll get over it. It's just…well, she's been kind of a bitch since I started dating Eli," Tina explained.

"Language," Olivia warned. "Honey, Eli's a terrific young man, and the two of you spend a lot of time together…time you used to spend with Lauren," Olivia explained.

"Wait, you think she's jealous because I spend too much time with Eli?" Tina asked.

"No, not exactly. You have a busy life between school and swim team and a boyfriend. I think if you let the dust settle, everything will be fine," Olivia said. "But I think Lauren may need some time. And, she's probably a little jealous that you have a boyfriend and she doesn't."

"So if I can manage to hook her up with Jeremy that will solve everything?" Tina asked. Olivia chuckled.

"If Jeremy likes Lauren, that could help, but I think maybe you should stay out of that part," Olivia advised.

"Thanks, Mom," Tina said, stifling a yawn.

"I think the chamomile is starting to work. Let's get you back into bed," Olivia suggested.

"Yeah. Ok," Tina said, sliding off the stool. Olivia walked her back into her room, tucked her in, and kissed her good-night. Olivia quickly cleaned up the mess from the tea, and went back to sleep herself.

The next morning, Fin was awake well before Liv and Tina, so he busied himself in the kitchen with bacon and eggs. As the smell wafted through the house, Tina woke up, suddenly ravenous.

"Morning, Dad," she said as she shuffled towards the kitchen.

"Hey, Baby. There's plenty of food here if you're hungry," he said. But Tina had already headed for the cabinet containing the oatmeal she typically ate for breakfast. She looked at his plate as he reached for the fresh toast that had just popped up from the toaster.

"That entire plate is mostly fat, Dad," she said, microwaving her plain oatmeal. When it was ready, she added a packet of artificial sweetener and some fresh sliced berries.

"I guess I like my plate of fat," Fin replied with a smile. As he sat with his daughter, who was slowly mixing the berries into her cereal, he noticed her mind was anywhere but here.

"What's goin' on, Kiddo?" he asked.

"Hm? Nothing," she replied, still lost in her thoughts. The truth was, there was a question she wanted to ask him, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up without angering her father.

"Hey, Dad? Can I ask you something?" Tina began.

"Sure. What's up?" he asked, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"That man that kidnapped us. You said he was in Rikers, right?" she asked. Fin swallowed hard. He had expected questions from her, but honestly, he would much rather let Olivia deal with it.

"Yep," he answered.

"Do you think…I mean…I don't know how to explain this," she said.

"Just spit it out, Tina," he said.

"Would you take me up there so I can see him?" she asked.

"Now, why in the hell would you want to do that?" he asked, annoyed that she would make such a ridiculous request.

"It's just…I need to know. I have questions that only he can answer," she said. Fin sighed.

"Sweetheart, your mother and I can answer any question you may have," he said.

"No, Dad. I need to do this. I need to see the face of the man that raped my mom," she said. But there was something about the way she said it. Fin looked across the table at his daughter, but he didn't see a little girl. Instead, he saw a young woman with a not entirely unreasonable request.

Of course, if he gave in, his wife would kill him.

_**What's Fin going to do? It's a reasonable request, but we all know Liv won't tolerate a meeting between Tina and Joseph!**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Tina…" Fin began, but Tina knew that tone of voice very well. It always preceded a 'no.'

"Daddy, please. I know it's a lot to ask, but I need to do this," she begged. Fin sighed again. Tina had Liv's eyes, and the desperate look in them was nearly impossible for him to turn down completely.

"Let me talk to Mom," he grumbled. He dreaded approaching Liv with this particular request, but he also knew that Liv would have a much easier time saying no to Tina than he did. For better or for worse, Fin had a tendency to spoil his only child – a daughter, at that.

"Thanks, Dad," Tina said, hopping up from the table. She kissed his cheek and raced to the kitchen to drop her bowl in the sink. Disappearing into her room, she reemerged minutes later in a pair of spandex black pants and a battered T-shirt with her school logo on it.

"Heading out for a run?" Fin asked. When Tina didn't have swim practice, she typically ran in the nearby park for exercise.

"Yeah," she said, adjusting an armband containing an iPod.

"Have fun," he said. Shortly after breakfast was eaten and Tina had left, Olivia emerged from the master bedroom with a slight smile on her face.

"Morning," she greeted Fin who sat on the couch with a mug of coffee and the local news on the TV.

"Hey, Baby. Coffee's already made."

"You are a god," she sighed as she made her way over to the cupboard where they stored their cups. "I can't tell you how good it feels to have a day off. I have to run out to the pharmacy to pick up testing strips for Tina, but I thought I might stop by the market and pick up something fun for dinner. How do you feel about pot roast?"

"The one that takes hours to make? With the little baby onions and potatoes? That sounds absolutely incredible," Fin replied, already salivating at the thought.

"That's the one," Liv answered.

"If you want to stay here and relax, I'll go instead," Fin offered without turning away from the screen.

"I got it, Babe," said Olivia as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "You still have to go pick up that piece for the shower and fix it."

"I thought the landlord was gonna take care of that?"

"He was but rather than wait three weeks only to have him use a 'repair' as an excuse to walk behind me and stare at my ass, I figured you could do it." She came over to the couch and sat down beside him and reached for the remote. "Plus you don't need to make excuses to stare at my ass." Fin just chuckled as she nodded towards the TV.

"Are you actually watching this, or can I change it."

"Nah, have at it." Olivia immediately changed it from local news to CNN and tossed the remote on the couch, swinging her feet up onto the couch. Fin, never one to miss out on an opportunity to touch his wife, coaxed her feet into his lap where he started gently needing at her right sole. She took a much needed cup of coffee and groaned in delight. "I needed that so bad. And that feels nice, too."

"Long night?" he asked. Olivia nodded.

"I stayed awake listening for Tina most of the night, and I think I finally dozed off around the time you got out of bed. It's like I knew I was going to have nightmares if I stayed asleep too long," she muttered. Fin swallowed hard as he watched his wife take another sip of her coffee. After she was done he cleared his throat and focused his eyes on her perfectly pink polished toes. He continued his loving ministrations, knowing that it would relax her to a point where she might listen to reason.

"Speaking of nightmares, Tina... Tina asked me for something this morning."

"What?"

"She..." Fin took a deep breath before he spoke. "She wants to go see Joseph." Olivia was mid-sip in her coffee, and the moment those words left Fin's mouth, she spat it back in her cup at the same time yanking her feet from Fin's lap. She coughed and sputtered and almost slammed her cup down on the coffee table. She whipped towards him with wide eyes.

"She what?" Olivia snapped. "Why the hell does she want to see that… that monster?!"

"She told me she had questions only he could answer."

"And there's this delightful little thing called Google," Olivia spat.

"Liv, she has a valid point. Plus we've both had a chance to confront him, she hasn't. All she has is a faceless demon to her," Fin pushed back.

"And that's how he's going to remain. She'll meet Joseph Colin over my dead body. I don't ever want that bastard to lay his eyes on my daughter."

"Liv…"

"I said NO!" Olivia downed the rest of her coffee before she stood up. "I need to get going. I'll see you later." Fin stood up from the couch and went over to her.

"Liv, come on don't be mad."

"I'm not mad," she told him, her tone completely contradicting her words. "I just spent the last fifteen years trying to get his face out of my memory and you want to put him in our daughter's."

"Olivia, that's not-!"

"I think I've been perfectly clear about this. I need you to promise me you won't take her to see him," Olivia said before disappearing into the bedroom to change out of her pajamas.

"Liv, I don't think it's ridi…" Fin began.

"Promise!" Olivia said, a bit more forcefully. Fin knew she would be against this, but he hadn't realized exactly how adamant she would be.

"Ok, ok…I promise," he grumbled. "I still think it's a bad idea!" he said to Olivia's back as she walked away. Without another word Olivia disappeared into their bedroom. Fin rolled his eyes and went back to the TV. He managed about three seconds of CNN before he snatched up the remote.

"Shut up, Maddow, you ain't even that hot," he grumbled at the screen before flipping it back to the local station. Fifteen minutes later Olivia reemerged from the bedroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple white shirt layered with a partially open blue button down draped across her chest. Fin stood up from the couch and headed towards her.

"I'm sorry," he told her, slipping his arms around her waist from behind her as she dug in her purse to double check that she had everything she needed with her. She ignored him until he leaned over and began lapping at her neck with his mouth.

"That's not going to work, Fin," she asked as she pulled away from him. Fin shrugged.

"You were ignoring me." He smirked as his eyes looked over her. "Quite frankly I like that way of gaining your attention." Olivia rolled her eyes but couldn't help the shy smile on her face. She sighed as she closed her purse and looked up at him.

"I know you think it's a good idea, but I don't. I don't like the idea of him seeing her, Fin, I really don't. It scares me to think that he'll know what Tina looks like, and you _know_ how he would treat her... I don't want her dealing with that." Fin nodded.

"She won't. I'm sorry for bringing it up, but Tina asked, and I thought she had a point. And besides, Colin's on his best behavior at the moment, with his parole hearing coming up and all," Fin added.

"I know but... I need you to respect me on this one. It's our job to keep her safe," Olivia reiterated.

"I promise, Baby Girl. He's never gonna see her. Ever." Olivia smiled at him before she gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Thank you," she almost whispered as she hugged him, laying her head on his shoulder. Fin kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. The front door opened and Tina walked in, rolling her eyes at the embrace.

"Ew," she commented. Fin chuckled as they broke apart.

"I'll be gone a few hours. Promise to have the shower fixed by the time I get home?" Olivia said.

"I'll do my best." Olivia rewarded him with another quick kiss as she walked towards the front door, pausing to give Tina a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I want your homework done by tonight or no date with Eli."

"How do you know I have a date with Eli?"

"When was the last time you spent a Saturday night home?"

"... True. It'll get done."

"Thank you, Tina." Without another word Olivia left the apartment shutting the door behind her. The moment she left the apartment Tina went up to Fin who was just staring at the spot Olivia just stood.

"So did you talk to Mom yet?" Tina asked. He nodded without looking from the spot.

"Yeah," he answered, knowing he was about to disappoint his daughter.

"Okay... So what'd she say?" Tina asked expectantly. Fin hesitated for the longest time before he spoke.

"Mom…Mom doesn't think it's a good idea, Tee," Fin said gently, much more gently than Olivia had put it.

"What!? Since when does she get the absolute final say? Can't you pull rank or something?" Tina argued. Fin sighed.

"First of all, your mom and I are partners. I can't pull rank on her anymore than she can pull rank on me. Secondly, I can see her point. Joseph Colin is one of the worst men I've ever met in my life. He has absolutely no respect for anyone who isn't white, and she's afraid of how he would react to seeing you," Fin explained.

"How he would react? What about me, Dad? I've had these horrible dreams about someone or something killing or torturing Mom for as long as I can remember. And you know what the worst part is? I don't even have a face to put on this monster, so he just looks like the scariest thing my brain can come up with in the moment. I need a face to put on the monster so I can get him out of my head once and for all," she said. Fin noticed once again just how very much she resembled his wife in this very moment. And her argument _did_ have some merit.

"This story was big news almost fifteen years ago. I'm sure if you did some research on your computer, you could find out what you want to know," he said, offering up Olivia's compromise.

"No, Dad. I need to see _him. _I need to talk to him, to know what he sounds like. All I have is what my imagination has created, and trust me, whatever this guy did, it _has_ to be better than that," Tina explained. Fin's head reeled in conflict. He could see Tina's logic, and he knew she genuinely believed that meeting Joseph Colin would help her. But then there was Olivia. Olivia, who had shielded her daughter from the truth for fourteen years. And Olivia, who would murder him if he broke his promise.

"You work with rape victims every day, right?" Tina asked him. Fin nodded. "How many of them ever have the opportunity to ask their rapist why? Why did he pick them? Why did he do what he did? I have that chance, if you'll let me. Please Dad, I can handle this. You know it never helps to run from stuff. The best way to beat your fears is to face them. Remember when I used to be afraid of taking a bath? You were the one who told me I needed to do it, even if it scared me. Well, right now, Joseph Colin is my worst fear, and I need to face him," Tina explained. Fin's heart nearly skipped a beat at the memory that had ultimately ended with Fin smelling of his wife's warm brown sugar and vanilla body wash. Tina remembered being afraid of taking a bath, but what she didn't remember was why. She had heard Olivia's screams when they bathed her, and Tina had been told they were drowning her mother and that she was next. His little girl wasn't a little girl anymore. Olivia may not be ready to face her fears, but Tina certainly was.

"Go get changed, but be quick about it," Fin said. Tina looked up at him, shocked.

"Huh?"

"Go on. I'll take you to Rikers, but you better be ready before I change my mind," Fin explained.

An hour and a near silent ride later, Fin and Tina pulled into the parking lot of the prison. Fin unstrapped his seatbelt, but Tina made no move to get out of the car. Instead, she was taking in the barbed wire, the cold grey cement walls, and the guards posted everywhere.

"You know, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," Fin said, idly toying with the keys to Liv's Mustang in his hand.

"No, I wanna do this," Tina said, reaching down and unbuckling her own seatbelt.

"Ok," Fin said, finally getting out of the car. Tina followed, a couple of steps behind Fin. She heard unintelligible yelling from the prison yard somewhere, and she picked up her pace, slipping her small hand inside Fin's massive one. Fin immediately understood the gesture and gave her a reassuring squeeze. While he had been here many times as part of his job, this was Tina's first experience with the prison scene, and to a teenage girl, it was absolutely terrifying.

He led them to the main door where they began the arduous process of screening both Fin and Tina. Fin turned over his wallet and keys while Tina handed over her purse. The guards confiscated the keys, but returned Fin's wallet as he signed in. Fin pushed the clipboard towards Tina, who signed her own name. The guard started to rifle through Tina's purse, pulling out the black case containing insulin and her testing supplies. They unzipped it and set it aside.

"I need you to turn out your pockets, Miss," another guard said, running a wand over her body.

"Wait, I need that," Tina said to the one with her purse as she complied by turning out her empty pockets.

"Sorry, Miss. I can't let you back there with any sharps," the guard explained.

"Just keep her purse," Fin said. The guard nodded, packed what little had been examined and placed it in a bin along with his keys.

"But I'm a diabetic, and…" she began.

"And if there's a problem, we can have you back here in no time," Fin said, placing a hand on her shoulder. From the time Tina started managing her own illness, she had kept her supplies on her at all times, and it had become something of a security blanket. Prior to that, and even to this day, Olivia had an emergency set in her own purse. "Like I said, Baby, we don't have to do this," he reiterated. Tina swallowed hard.

"No, I'm ok," she said, but her voice was anything but convincing.

Fin bit his lip as they went through the first of a series of heavy locked doors. He and Olivia had only told Tina a minute fraction of what Joseph and his brother did to them. Tina wasn't prepared for this, but he had no idea how he could ever properly prepare her for the sort of evil she was about to meet.

After several heavy doors, they entered the Visiting Room, which consisted of two rows of metal stools soldered to the ground and with half cement block half bulletproof glass wall separating the two rows. Each pair of stools was separated by partition creating the illusion of some sort of privacy. On each partition was a handset resembling an old payphone without the keypad. At the guard's instruction, Tina started for the fourth stool from the end.

"He … he can't break the glass right?" Tina asked, turning towards her dad with a slight fear in her eyes.

"No," Fin told her as he shook his head. "It's bulletproof and thick. The only way you'll be able to even hear him is with the receiver. His legs and arms will be cuffed, and there are guards on both sides whose sole job is to keep you safe. Plus I'll be right by your side the whole time, all right?" Tina nodded but still appeared nervous as she took her seat. She glanced back over at the divider. Fin's face fell as he kneeled down next to her.

"Tina, you don't have to do this. He was in the news, I'm sure you could Google him if you really wanna see his face."

"No," she said with fear in her voice. And then there was a shift in her. Her face steeled, and even if she was trembling on the inside, she looked exactly like Olivia when she was about to take on a suspect in the Box. "No," she said with more confidence in her voice. "I need to do this, Dad." Fin sighed and nodded.

"All right. But... he's probably going to say things to you that are going to be very cruel and very disgusting. I won't be able to hear him but I don't want you to pay any attention to it, okay? And the _moment _ you want to go we'll leave. I mean it, Tina, you wanna go, you just hang up the phone, and we'll leave without a second glance. You are in control. Not me, not him, you are. Remember that, Baby." Tina nodded, and Fin took a seat on the stool next to her. He was close enough that he could see Tina, but positioned in such a way that Joseph would never see him.

A door on the other side of the room opened, and two guards walked in accompanying Joseph Colin. She picked up the phone and waited with trembling breath and pounding heart.

Tina swallowed hard as she looked at him. He was around 6'1" and two hundred pounds of pure muscle, displayed by the prison issue white tank and bright orange pants. Tina swallowed hard as she looked over the canvas of ink on his arms highlighting various objects, but the most prominent was a shamrock and a swastika.

"A fucking nigger!?" he exclaimed, but only the guards on his side of the room could hear him. He shrugged them off defiantly. "You brought me out here to see a goddamn nigger?"

"Colin! Sit down and shut up. You don't want the visit, fine, but you know the rules," the guard said. He stopped fighting and looked over at Tina almost with a challenge. He noticed her eyes widen a bit, but even more, he noticed she was just a kid. Well, this could be fun…

"All right, all right…it's cool…" he said, sauntering towards the booth opposite her. He sat down in his seat and picked up the receiver. "First a Spic, now a coon," he told Tina as his eyes traveled over her body making Tina wish she hadn't worn such a fitted shirt. It had seemed fine this morning, but now she felt entirely too exposed. "Although you're a lot more fun to look at than the Spic," he almost growled as his eyes landed on her well endowed chest. "Why are you here?" Tina opened her mouth but no words came out. She tried again but only managed to get out a few shaking breaths. Joseph laughed, sending a chill down her spine as he leaned back in his chair

"Come on, Nigger, my time's valuable, and welfare can't afford it, so if you're gonna sit there like a idiot with your mouth open then I'm leaving," he baited her.

"Why did you rape my mom?" Tina blurted out, finding a strength in her voice she hadn't known existed until now.

"Rape? Naw, Honey, I ain't never raped nobody," he said, leaning back with a smirk on his face.

"You did. You kidnapped my entire family, and you raped her almost fifteen years ago," Tina accused. Joseph leaned forward slowly, zeroing in her. No, it couldn't be…

"You're the nigger brat that bit me," he realized, rubbing at his hand where faint scars in the shape of a child's bite were still visible. Tina didn't react. She couldn't remember ever biting him, but obviously he seemed to know who she was now. And then he started to laugh. "What's wrong, Kid? Mommy go off the deep end and kill herself or something? If she hasn't, she should. Anything would be better than letting your beast of a father dirty her up more than he already has."

"Why did you do it? Why did you kidnap us and do those things to her?" Tina asked, ignoring his insults.

"Ok, that wasn't rape. If I remember correctly, your mom was a fine piece of ass, but she never should have fucked a nigger. And she sure as hell shouldn't have let one knock her up. She was born into the greatest race, but she threw it all away the night she fucked _him,_" Joseph said with disgust. "So, she needed to be taught a little lesson, which my brother and me were only too happy to do. She needed to learn what it was like to fuck a white guy, and how much more pleasure she could get from it than from screwing around with Spics and niggers."

"So my mom's white and my dad's black. What do you care? It's none of your business," Tina challenged.

"When my race is threatened, it _becomes_ my business. But your mom…yeah, I remember her. It always gets a little messier when they're pregnant, though. You see, the cleansing has to be more intense to make sure her body doesn't hold on to a nigger brat. Of course, when you get one as…uncooperative as your mom…Olivia, I think, right?...it tends to be a bit rough." Tina's heart skipped a beat, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Had he said pregnant? But that was impossible. Olivia only had one child.

"Pregnant?" Tina asked, too shocked to say anything else. In the next booth, Fin rubbed his forehead, but said nothing. He had been afraid Joseph would give her more of the story than either he or Olivia had.

"Oh yeah, your parents never told you about that? She had one in the oven when we got ahold of her. Fortunately, we were able to take care of it, and from what I hear, we did such a good job that that bitch was never able to have kids again after we were done with her. I will say that was probably one of my proudest moments," Joseph said with a sneer. "Must have taken, too, because while your whore of a mother was accusin' me of rape, she was screwing her nice, white lawyer." Tina's eyes went even wider. She wanted to argue with him, scream at him, react in some way, but all she could do was sit in total shock. He had to be lying. She would have known if her mother had lost a baby…right? And she definitely would have known that her mother couldn't have more.

"My mom never cheated on my dad," she said. Fin bit down on his fist to keep from exploding. Obviously Tina had forgotten her and Fin's 'daddy daughter Saturdays' and any history of meeting David.

"Oh, but she did. She was hangin' all over that guy not too long afterwards," Joseph said.

"You're such a liar," Tina seethed.

"Really, well then I think perhaps you should ask mommy and daddy about that one," Joseph replied snidely.

"Stop lying about my parents, you pathetic asshole," Tina seethed, more fiercely.

"Hey!" Joseph barked at her, making her jump back from the window. "You don't give me orders you little fucking coon! You tried back then, and it didn't work, and it doesn't work now, you half breed little cunt!" Tina tried to control her shaking as she looked at him, her eyes wide and full of terror. Joseph looked her over and couldn't help but flash a sadistic grin at her. "Mmm... I remember that look... that's right how you look before I fucked you." Tina's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. Her bottom lip trembled as tears welled in her eyes as her breath hitched.

"You…you raped me?"

"Nope. Can't rape a nigger," Joseph clarified.

"No!" Fin shouted. "Tina, he didn't do anything to you! Don't you dare listen to that piece of shit!" Tina barely heard her dad as she let out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand as she began shaking. Fin tried to jerk the phone from her hand, but she held onto like with a death grip, pushing him away.

"You're a monster," she breathed, unable to get her voice above that of a whisper. Joseph, who still had no idea Fin was sitting right next to his daughter smirked and licked his lips. "I fucked you hard, Tina. I threw you down on that floor, ripped off your clothes and shoved my dick inside you as far as it would go. Your tits are a lot nicer now, and I'm not much of a fan of kiddie pussy, but for you, I made an exception. How many times has your dad grabbed those tits and made you moan, huh? From what I saw on the videos I had in your apartment, he has a way with his hands."

"Stop it. Pl- please," she begged, shaking from both the disgust and what she thought was the truth. She wasn't a virgin like she had believed. She already lost her virginity, by force at that, by the living incarnation of Satan. Joseph, seeing the effect his words were having on Tina, moaned, shifting on his stool, trying to bring some relief to his hardening dick against his tightening jumpsuit pants.

"You had a nice tight pussy that felt fucking good too." He moaned softly as he looked her body over, feeling as hard as he ever been in years. Even if she was just a nigger whore, she was a good looking nigger whore with a great set of tits and probably a perfect right ass. "I wonder if you're still tight even after your dad put his big black dick in there. That's how it works, right? Daddy's been teaching you how to be a good little whore?" He clicked his tongue. "Oh wait, I almost forgot your dad's a nigger. They like to shove it up their whore's asses, ain't that right? So tell me, Tina. How many times did he cum in your tight little ass huh?"

"Shut up!" she screamed as she felt her stomach churn at the mere thought of what Joseph was suggesting. "Just shut the fuck up!" Fin stood up from his chair, his hands curled into shaking fists.

"Tina, let's go NOW!" But Tina barely heard him. She clutched the receiver in her hand so hard her knuckles turned white. Joseph smirked at the teary eyed woman.

"Did he stretch you out and teach you to be a good little whore? Hey I got a question; do you scream his name or do you just moan 'Daddy' when he makes you cum? You look like you swallow, Tina so tell me; how many times did you swallow when your dad shot off in your pretty little mouth?" Unable to take anymore of his words Tina let out a sob and without another second she got up and raced for the exit to the Visiting Room, letting the phone hang by its cord.

"Tina!" Fin yelled before he followed her without so much as a glance back towards a laughing Joseph.

_**Joseph, you dirty rotten liar! And Fin just might be a dead man. Whoops.**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Let me out of here!" Tina cried, banging on the door.

"Tina, Tina, stop. What did he say to you, Baby? What did he say?" Fin asked, spinning his now hysterical daughter towards him.

"No, Dad, just get me out!" she sobbed, twisting her arms to pull out of his grip. Seeing the commotion on Tina's side of the glass, the other set of guards hauled Joseph back towards his cell.

"Let go of me!" Tina cried, trying desperately to pull herself out of Fin's grip. "Dad! Stop!"

"I'll let go, but you have to calm down," Fin warned, shooting a sideways glance at the guard.

"HE RAPED ME!" Tina screamed, as her hysterics took over completely and she collapsed into Fin's arms.

"Tina, listen to me, Baby, ok? Listen to me," he said, rocking his daughter. "He did NOT rape you." Tina sniffed and looked up at him with tear stained eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"He didn't. Is that what he told you?" Fin asked. Tina nodded. "He didn't touch you. Ever."

"But he said…" Tina began.

"He lied," Fin answered, cutting her off.

"How do you know? You said they took me from you," Tina asked.

"Because you were examined by a doctor when we were found. You had a bad case of pneumonia and there were some cuts on your head, but everything was fine…down there…" he explained. "And, Sweetheart, it wouldn't have been if he had…violated you. Trust me on this one."

"I wanna go home," Tina said with a sniffle, having calmed significantly.

"Ok, Baby, we'll go home," Fin told her. They followed the guard back out through the same series of locked doors, picked up their personal effects, signed out, and headed for the car.

"You ok, Tee?" Fin asked Tina as he fastened his seatbelt, who had been silent since her outburst in the Visiting Room.

"Why didn't I ever have a brother or sister?" she asked, still on the verge of tears.

"The truth?" Fin asked, fairly certain by this point that Joseph had told her about her mother's condition. Tina glared at him in response. She was so tired of everyone lying to her for protection. She just wanted to know the story, no matter how grisly. "Your mom was pregnant four times. You were the first, and the other three came about a year apart. The first two after you, we thought…we thought they were miscarriages. Your mom was older, she was having a hard enough time getting pregnant, we just figured we were running par for the course. But the last one, she held onto him the longest. Made it all the way to fifteen weeks."

"Did she miscarry again?" Tina asked.

"No. While we…the last day we were there, they brought this doctor in. I don't understand the whole thing, so I can't explain it, but I saw them stick a needle in your mom's belly, and after we were rescued, her own doctor told us it was a drug to cause an abortion," he told her. He stopped for a minute, needing to put his own emotions in check.

"We did everything we could to…to try to save him, and by some miracle he was born alive, but John only lived for nine minutes in an operating room. At the same time, Mom had a lot of complications, and the only way to save her life was to remove her uterus," Fin said. "And that's the truth."

"I had a brother?" Tina asked softly. "John?" Fin nodded.

"Yeah," he said, putting the key in the ignition and starting the car. Tina buckled her seatbelt as she processed this new information.

"Your tattoo, those aren't names of your old Army buddies, are they?" Tina asked.

"Nope. They're my children. _All_ of my children," he said.

"And the wings…those are the ones that didn't make it…" Tina filled in. Fin nodded. For the next several minutes, they were silent. Fin snuck a glance at Tina every so often, trying to gauge how she was processing everything, and he rapidly came to the conclusion that if he took her home like this, Olivia would know what had happened even before they got the front door closed. He made a quick turn, changing their route suddenly.

"Dad!" Tina cried as he made his way down the side street. "Where are we going?" But Fin didn't need to answer. Instead, he pulled into a parking lot with a strip of rocky sand beyond it and the open water in front of them.

"C'mon, Tina," Fin said, unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the car. Tina sat stunned for a minute, but followed. The chill of October had chased away anyone who would be here for recreation, and the noise of the ocean would drown out any human noise. Fin strode towards the beach, taking a deep breath of the salty air.

"What are we doing here?" Tina asked, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. Fin kept walking, knowing Tina was following steps behind. When he reached the rocky beach, he picked up a baseball sized rock and hurled it into the water where it landed with a satisfying splash. He picked up a second rock and handed it to Tina, who was now standing beside him.

"Here," he said.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Throw it. You'll feel better," he said. Tina shrugged, but gave the rock a light toss into the water.

"Really?" Fin asked. "That all you got? Try again, and this time, mean it," he said, handing her another rock. Tina threw it a little harder, but she was clearly missing the point of this little exercise. Fin handed her another rock.

"Try it again, and this time…this time imagine that you're hurling it at Joseph's cocky ass face," he said. Tina, who had barely managed to pull herself together, felt more tears pricking at her eyes.

"I don't want to think about him anymore," she said, moving to drop the rock.

"Hey, you _begged_ me to bring you out here, and let me tell you Tina, Mom's gonna kill me if she ever finds out about this, so you're gonna have to deal with the fallout. Now, throw the damn rock," he said. Tina threw the rock again, still holding back.

"There, are you happy?" she said, turning away from the shore. "Can we go home now?" Fin raced after her, spinning her around to face him.

"I've seen this before, Tina. You're bottling up more than you can handle, and one day, it's all going to explode, and so help me God, I can't bear to watch you go through that," he said. "So I need you to scream, or yell, or…or…throw something, but you need to get it out of you."

"No!" Tina yelled back.

"_Yes,_" Fin said firmly.

"I…I just need time. I can deal with this," Tina said, wrenching her arm free and walking back towards the car.

"Time's not gonna help, Tina," he called after her. Tina turned back towards him.

"How do you know?" she said, turning back to him.

"Because all it did was tear your mom apart, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen to you," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Fin turned away and perched on a boulder overlooking the sea, burying his face in his hands. Tina paused for a minute, never having seen her father battle emotional demons like the ones he seemed to be facing. She slowly walked over to the boulder and sat next to him. When he didn't acknowledge her presence, she placed her hand on his knee.

"Dad? Tell me," she asked.

"Do you remember our 'Daddy Daughter Days'?" he asked.

"Sure," Tina answered, with a smile at the fondness of the memory. "You took me everywhere…the movies, the park, ice skating…it was always something new, and you always let me pick what we ate for lunch. I loved those days."

"Do you remember _why_ we had them?" he asked, and that was when Tina saw what he was trying to hide. His eyes were wet with the tears he was trying so hard not to shed. Tina dug back in her memory as far as she could, but everything from that time period was a blur.

"I just assumed it was because you felt guilty that I was a diabetic," she answered.

"No, Tina. That was before you were diagnosed. As far as we knew you were a perfectly normal, healthy, four-year-old. We started spending Saturdays together because your mom told me she wanted a divorce," he admitted.

"_Mom!?"_ Tina asked in absolute shock. As far as she knew, her parents were madly in love, and had always been that way. She had friends with divorced parents, but her parents were rock solid. They had spats, but somehow, they always managed to work things out.

"Yeah. After she lost the baby, she…" began, but stopping to collect himself. "She said she needed time. So, I gave her time. She didn't wanna be touched or held or cuddled…" Tina wrinkled her nose because she didn't like where this conversation was going "…not like that. Get your mind outta the gutter," he said, seeing the look on her face. "I mean if I tried to hold her hand, she pulled back. If I tried to kiss her, she turned her face. If I tried to hug her, she freaked out like she was being attacked again. And she said she just needed time to work it out."

"What about counseling?" Tina asked.

"Oh, she had plenty of counselors. Three of 'em, in fact. And they all said the same thing. 'Give her time and space.' So, I did. For four months I tried to help her get through it, encouraging her to go back to work, to take you out for a walk, or even go to the damn grocery store, but she wouldn't. She just sat in that apartment day after day, holding onto you as if only she could protect you. And then one night, she just…snapped," he said.

"What did she do?" Tina asked softly.

"She told me she wanted a divorce and asked me to leave," he said. He waited before he continued. "So I left. Moved in with Nana. About that time, we had to meet with the prosecutor, God…I still have no idea what he did, but your mom clung to him with everything she had," Fin confessed. "One day, we were out on one of our 'Daddy Daughter Days,' and I caught them having coffee, and Mom…Mom was _laughing._ And back then, she didn't laugh. Hell, she barely ever smiled."

"Wait, that lawyer guy…Derek? Daniel? Something with a D…" Tina said, as Fin's story was jogging her own memory.

"David," Fin said quietly.

"Yes!" Tina exclaimed. "They told me he was Mommy's special friend." The way Tina's expression changed, Fin knew she had finally realized what that term meant. "She was sleeping with him, wasn't she?"

"As far as I know," he said.

"Oh, Dad…" Tina said, reaching out to lightly brush his arm.

"It was a long time ago, Tee, but I came very, very close to losing her. And if I lost her, I probably would have only seen you on Saturdays, assuming she let me near you at all," he said.

"So…how did you wind up fixing it?" Tina asked.

"I didn't," he said. Then he turned to look at her. "You did."

"Me?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah. Just when I was sure there was no hope us ever being a family again, you had your very first hospital visit, and you were diagnosed with diabetes," he told her. "Something about you being sick made your mom realize that we belonged together, and she was smart enough to listen to her gut. I moved back in, and little by little, she let me in. By the time you were in first grade, she was bored outta her mind hanging around the house with nothing to do, so she went back to work again. That was when I really knew that she would be ok, and it took two years to get there."

"Can I ask you about John?" Tina asked after a minute.

"Not much more to tell about him," Fin answered.

"Whatever happened to the woman who gave Mom the drug?" Tina asked.

"She's in prison for two hundred and fifty-eight years," he said. Tina furrowed her brow.

"For aborting a single child?" she asked.

"No, Tina. She aborted eighty-six children, including all three of your siblings," Fin said.

"How…?" Tina asked.

"I don't know, exactly. Just that it had something to do with the clinic. Your mom saw her a few times because her own doctor was on vacation or unavailable or something. She gave women these shots that were supposed to be pre-natal vitamins that helped with nausea," he said.

"So the shots caused the abortions?" Tina asked.

"Yeah. And it looked like a normal miscarriage, so we assumed the first two were. But there was a pattern that showed a lotta white women with black husbands or lovers who were miscarrying from that clinic," he told her. Tina couldn't believe her ears. First, she was trying to grasp the concept that she had been somebody's sister, even if it was only for mere minutes. And not only was she supposed to have one sibling, but three. And instead, here she was, an only child. She wrapped her arms around Fin's bicep and rested her head on his arm.

"Do you ever think about him? Them? My brothers and sisters?" she asked.

"Every day," Fin said as his voice cracked. "We buried each of them at a small service, and not a day goes by that I don't remember each and every one of them and think about what mighta been."

"Can I go visit them?" she asked softly. Fin sighed. Even he hadn't been out there, except for the days of the services. His chest proudly sported their names, but he could never bring himself to go back and look at their tombstones. It wasn't that he didn't care; it was just that it was the one thing he couldn't face.

"Mom goes every Wednesday morning. You can go with her," he said.

"I thought we weren't going to tell Mom about this," Tina reminded him.

"You can go with Mom _after_ I've had a chance to talk to her," Fin clarified.

"Hey, Dad?" Tina said again after another pause.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I love you," she said softly. Fin wrapped his arms around his only living daughter and pulled her close.

"I love you too, Kiddo," he said.

"Good. Now can we go home? It's cold out here," she said. Fin chuckled at her, giving her another quick squeeze.

"Sure," he said.

As they approached the city, Fin's mind turned to what he was going to say to Olivia when they got home. Surely she'd be back from her errands by now, and he didn't want her to find out what he had done until he was good and ready to tell her. And hopefully, he could figure out some way to soften the blow the keep her reaction at least on the Richter scale.

"Ok, Tina, we have to talk about something. I will tell Mom about today, but you need to give me time to do it. Now, when we get home, you _have_ to play it cool. I know you're still upset about everything Joseph told you, but we can't let Mom see that. If she were anyone else, this would be easy, but Mom's been a detective for longer than you've been alive, and she's damn good at it," Fin said. His own palms were getting a bit damn because he was nervous about how this would play out.

"I know, Dad," Tina said. She had always found hiding anything from her mother to be futile because her mom could pick out a lie before it was even told.

"Just be cool about it. Not overly normal, but normal, ok? We went to the hardware store and then we went to lunch. You had a chef's salad, and I had fried chicken. This has to be like an old Narcotics operation where if one of the kingpins even _thought_ there was a snitch, they'd kill the guy and his entire family. Because, let me tell you, Mom won't hesitate to kill me for taking you to see Colin," he said.

"She was _that_ against this?" Tina asked as Fin parked the car in their normal spot in the garage.

"You could say that," he told her.

"Why?" Tina asked.

"Because she's been hovering over you your entire life," he told her. They made their way back over the several blocks between the garage and apartment building fairly quickly. Just before they got to the front door, Fin turned to Tina again.

"Can you do this, or do you need more time? Because I swear to God, Tina, she'll go on a rampage if this blows up," he warned her.

"I'm good, Dad," Tina said. Fin unlocked the door and inhaled deeply as the smell of pot roast wafted through the open door.

"Hey, guys. Where did the two of you run off to?" Olivia asked with a smile on her face as she closed the oven door.

"I went to get the piece for the shower, and Tina wanted to tag along," Fin said.

"Did you get it?" Olivia asked. Meanwhile, Tina was staring at her mother, seeing her in a completely new light. She had images of Joseph on top of Olivia, attacking her, while Olivia's screams echoed in her own brain. She wasn't sure if this was just her imagination, or if they were actual memories, but either way, it was hitting her harder than she thought it would.

"I tried, but they were out. I need a 7/10 strip screw and all they had was 8/9. I'll try a couple of other places tomorrow," Fin said. Tina looked back at her father. She couldn't believe how easily he could talk about strip screws right now, but damn, he was good. And then Olivia turned to Tina.

"Did you get your homework done?" she asked. Tina couldn't take it. It was as if the intelligent side of her who understood what her father had asked her to do lifted out of her body, and she was watching herself from some remote corner of the room. Instead, she ran forward, slipping her arms around Olivia and burying her head in her chest.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Tina said.

"Sweetheart, it's just trig," Olivia said, stroking Tina's hair with one hand. At her comment, Tina just sobbed harder. She didn't care about trigonometry, all she cared about was how awful she had been to her mother, who wanted nothing more than to protect her. When Tina tightened her grip, Olivia looked at Fin and narrowed her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked, already suspicious.

"Nothing's going on…" Fin started.

"Don't fight, you two! Please don't fight…" Tina sobbed into Olivia. If Olivia hadn't been a detective, she might have missed it, but she caught a slight hint of a familiar smell coming off of Tina. It was distinctive, and had she not spent so much time around convicts, she never would have recognized it.

"Ok, Fin, I'm going to ask you again, and this time I want the truth. Where were you?" she asked, glaring at him, as she pulled Tina closer. Fin opened his mouth to answer, but she stopped him. "Keep in mind I can get the visitors log from Rikers with one phone call."

"You're not quite ready for undercover work, Kiddo," Fin said, trying to lighten the mood in the room even a little.

"Ok, Tina, go to your room. I need to talk to your father," Olivia said, patting Tina's back.

"Don't be mad at him, Mom. I made him take me; it's not his fault," she begged.

"Just go to your room," Olivia reiterated. Tina broke the embrace.

"Sorry, Daddy," she said genuinely as she shuffled towards her room.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"You took her to Rikers? After you _swore_ to me this morning you wouldn't?" a positively irate Olivia seethed.

"She was determined to go. I didn't let anything happen to her," Fin said almost innocently. Olivia threw the towel in her hand on the counter and ran her hands over her face. He didn't understand the hurt, the absolute betrayal this one act involved.

"Did she put a gun to your head? Because that's just about the only reason I can think of for you to listen to a teenager over your wife," she spat. And yet, Fin was determined to stand his ground because he had never fully agreed with Olivia about hiding the truth from Tina in the first place.

"She's old enough to know what she wants, and she wanted to go," he said simply.

"She's seventeen, Fin! She can't even vote yet!" Olivia yelled.

"In seven months she can, and like I said, I'm not going to let anything happen to her!" he yelled right back. She wanted to smack him. Really she did. He had worked sex crimes long enough to know better.

"That's not the point!" she yelled back.

"Then what the hell is the point, Liv!?"

"The point is that you betrayed me! You promised me you wouldn't take her anywhere near that…that…THING, and the minute my back was turned, you did!" Joseph Colin had seen what Tina looked like now, and that was entirely unacceptable to Olivia.

"She wanted to go, Liv! And honestly I think it was good for her to go. She's ready to face this, unlike some other people in this house, and if you _listened_ to her reasons instead of just assuming she's too fragile for any of this, you wouldn't have a problem with it either!" Fin was tired of Olivia having the final say over everything involving Tina. He was sorry he had broken his promise, but he wasn't sorry his daughter was facing the demons his wife wanted to hide behind.

"No, Fin, I'm trying to keep her away from a rapist who just might put her in his crosshairs!"

"He isn't gonna hurt her! Do you think I would have brought her if I didn't know I could keep her safe!?"

"But now he knows what she looks like!"

"So what? If he tries anything, I'll kill him, and you know it! I told you I would keep her safe, or what, you _still _don't trust me with our daughter?"

"We can't be with her 24 hours a day. What about when she's out running, or on her way to or from school, or here alone while we're working. It was irresponsible and stupid!" Truth be told, the only reason Tina had any sort of freedom at all was because Colin was in prison. Olivia hated to think of the day when he was out, and he could go to any of the same public places Tina could. Her only comforting thought had been that, if the two happened to cross paths, he would have no idea who Tina was. And Fin had ruined that.

"No, it was irresponsible to think we could hide this from her for the rest of her life!"

"She forgot!"

"And what, would you rather have her think her own mother hates us because of the color of our skin?"

"We told her what she needed to know. She didn't need to talk to Joseph Colin. He sure as hell won't make an effort to cushion the blow."

"Ok, and what would we tell her when she started remembering, hm? When she realizes we told her the _very_ bare minimum of what happened? I did the right thing, Olivia, and you know it." Fin wasn't giving in this time. He usually surrendered, rather than deal with Olivia when she gets like this. But he noticed the blood had drained from her face at his last comment.

"What else does she know?" Olivia asked, terrified, her voice barely audible now.

"Everything we didn't tell her. John, Taylor, Jordan, your…the fact that we couldn't have any more children and why…"

"Dammit, Fin!" she screeched, cutting him off. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I…I didn't want her to know about that!? That was _my _business, and _my _choice to tell her when and if I chose to." Olivia could feel a wave of tears coming on, and she couldn't stand to even look at Fin anymore. She pushed past him, trying to reach their bedroom as quickly as she could.

"Liv, stop! Let's talk about this!" Fin called after her. He followed her, but as he reached the threshold of the bedroom, he was abruptly halted by the door slamming in his face.

"Liv? Come on, Baby, open the door," he said knocking softly. He hadn't heard the lock click into place, but he didn't dare breach her personal space any more than he already had.

"Liv? Liv, please, Baby Girl, I know you're mad, but just talk to me," he tried again. Still, no answer from the other side of the door. Fin sighed, ready to let her stew for a bit, when the door on the other side of the room opened, and Tina poked her head out.

"She locked herself in?" Tina asked in a small, quiet voice.

"Yup, and I have a feeling she's going to be in there for a while," Fin said, finally turning away from the door.

"Want me to try?" Tina asked, desperate to restore the usual happy atmosphere in her house.

"Maybe later. Let's just…let's just finish dinner, all right?" Fin suggested, feeling defeated. He hated fighting with his wife, and he didn't even feel much like eating, but it would be a crime to let Olivia's pot roast go to waste. Regardless of his feelings, Tina needed to adhere to her strict schedule, so he would finish dinner, if only for his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Tina said honestly, still feeling guilty that the entire argument had started because of her inability to keep a secret.

"It's not your fault, Tina. This is something between your mother and me," Fin said. His wife wanted to kill him, and his daughter thought it was all her fault. This wasn't shaping up to be the fun family night he had hoped it would be.

"It is my fault. I only asked you to take me because I knew Mom would say no," Tina said. It wasn't often she pitted her parents against each other, but she was savvy enough to know which one would let her have her way.

"Tina, I wasn't born yesterday. I just didn't think your mom would take this so hard."

"Neither did I. But every time I had one of those nightmares, she used to convince me that it was all my imagination. I guess I figured…"

"That dear old Dad would tell you the truth," Fin finished.

"Yeah," Tina replied.

"I know, Sweetie, but here's the thing. She buried a lot of her feelings, and she still struggles. I think she's a little jealous because you were able to forget the very thing that she _can't," _Fin explained. With that, Fin headed towards the kitchen to finish getting dinner together.

"Hey, Dad? Thanks," Tina said. Fin looked at her quizzically.

"For what?" he asked.

"For braving the Wrath of Mom so I could know the truth," she confessed, reaching for plates to set the table.

"You're welcome. But do me a favor, ok? Try not to do anything to piss her off for the next few weeks?" he asked. Tina grinned.

Tina and Fin ate a quiet dinner, waiting for Olivia to come out and join them. They would have waited for her, but Tina's condition required her to eat at specific times, and she couldn't skip meals without suffering the consequences. The conversation was void of any mention of Joseph Colin or Rikers. After dinner, Fin put together a plate of pot roast, vegetables, and a piece of bread for Olivia. He poured a glass of ice water and set the whole meal up on a tray usually used when family members were sick. He walked over to the closed bedroom door while Tina helped clear the table and knocked on it softly.

"I swear to God, Fin, if you step foot in here, I'm serving your balls for dinner tomorrow!" Fin and Tina exchanged a glance, and Tina quickly ran over to grab the tray. She pushed the door open a crack.

"It's just me, Mom," Tina said, feeling like she was approaching a wounded animal.

"Oh, Tina…come here, Sweetie," Olivia said.

"Dad and I thought you might be hungry…" Tina began, balancing the tray with one hand and closing the door behind her with the other. Olivia pulled herself to a sitting position on the bed while Tina set the tray on the nightstand.

"Thanks, Honey," Olivia said. Tina turned to leave, but stopped, feeling like she needed to at least try to fix things.

"I know you didn't want Dad to take me to Rikers, but I kinda talked him into it…" Tina began, ready to accept whatever punishment Olivia wanted to dish out at her for pulling a fast one on her father.

"It doesn't matter, Tina. I told him I didn't want you to go. And why on earth did you want to see…him anyway?" Olivia asked. Tina moved towards her mother and perched on the edge of the bed.

"Because…I have these nightmares, and…the thing in them always looks like…like…a monster. I thought if I saw him…maybe he'd just be human, and I wouldn't be so scared, you know?" Tina tried to answer. Olivia smiled, and fingered a few of Tina's microbraids.

"You could have looked him up online. And he isn't human, Tina. You should have come to me if you had any questions. There was no need for you to see him and let him know what you looked like," Olivia explained.

"Really, Mom?" Tina answered, raising an eyebrow. "You would have told me the truth? Exactly how forthcoming have you been?"

"You're probably right. I just wish you had given me a chance before pulling a stunt like you did with your father. Oh, Baby…I love you so much. You know that, right?" Olivia said, still fussing with Tina's hair.

"I know. I love you, too," Tina said. She paused for a minute. "Hey Mom? I do have one question that only you can answer…"

"What's that, Honey?" Olivia asked.

"Can I go with you on Wednesday morning?" Tina asked. The smile disappeared from Olivia's face.

"What are you talking about? Did your father say something?" Olivia asked, practically grilling Tina.

"Dad told me about John and the others. He said you go to the cemetery on Wednesday mornings. I…well…I'd like to visit them, too," Tina said innocently. Olivia's eyes filled with tears, and she quickly hid her face from her daughter.

"You…you need to go now, Tina," she said.

"Mom, Mom…I'm sorry if…if I…please don't cry…" Tina begged.

"Tina, go, now. I know you didn't mean anything, but you need to go," Olivia said, trying to swallow the sobs. Her Wednesday morning pilgrimage to the cemetery was a sacred ritual that only Fin knew about. He never accompanied her, nor did he ever ask her about it. She went out there to talk to her children, to remember them, and to love them the only way she could. She wasn't sure if she was ready to share that with anyone else, even her own daughter. Tina scurried out of the room, instantly feeling guilty that she had upset her mother, when she was so close to calming down.

"Hey Dad?" she said as she pulled the door closed. "I think we're going to need a reservation for two in the doghouse," she said, flopping next to Fin on the couch.

"What did you say to her?" he asked, almost accusatory.

"Nothing! I just told her I talked you into taking me to Rikers, explained why I wanted to go, and…then I asked her if I could go with her on Wednesday morning," Tina explained.

"Oh, Christ, Tina…! You really thought that _now_ would be the best time to bring up going to visit them?" he asked in absolute disbelief.

"What!? You said I could go with her after she found out! And she found out!" Tina almost wished she had never seen the brand on her mother's thigh. It seemed like ever since that happened, all anyone in her family could do was fight.

"Yeah, but I thought you had enough sense to know when to keep your mouth shut!" he yelled. He hadn't meant that. It had just come out. Tina got off the couch with a huff, grabbed her purse and headed for the front door.

"Where in the hell do you think you're going?" Fin hollered.

"Out!" she yelled.

"Hang on a sec. Did it ever occur to you to ask?" he said, still fuming.

"I have a date with Eli, and Mom already told me I could go," Tina said, yanking the front door open.

"Your ass better be back here by midnight, you hear me!?" he yelled as she slipped out the door.

"Whatever," she answered, slamming the door behind her. When she was safely in the hallway, she picked up the phone, dialed Eli's number, and asked her to meet him in the park instead of the movie theater.

Eli waited for Tina at the same swingset they used to play on when they were kids. There was something magical about this particular park. It always brought back memories of his childhood, and no matter what mood he was in, it seemed to make him happy.

"Eli!" Tina called when she saw him, bathed in the glow of a city light. She ran towards him and threw her arms around him. "Oh God, it's good to see you." She didn't let go immediately, but instead held onto him for a moment.

"Hey…you ok?" he asked.

"Not really. So far today I've managed to piss of, not one, but both of my parents," she confessed.

"And you're not grounded? Impressive," he said, knowing grounding was Fin and Olivia's punishment of choice.

"I didn't really doing anything ground-able," she explained. "I don't know…I found out all this…stuff…that they've been hiding from me practically my entire life."

"Like what?" he asked, taking her hand in his as the two of them started walking on the asphalt path Tina usually jogged on.

"Something really horrible happened to my family when I was little," she said.

"Oh?" Eli asked, knowing that she needed to get whatever this was off her chest. So she told him. She told him everything she knew, starting from when she found the brand on Olivia's thigh. She told him about how she coerced her father into taking her out to Rikers Island to see Joseph, and their strange trip to the beach. And of course, she told him about the argument her parents had earlier that evening.

"It's all my fault," Tina said. "If I hadn't asked so many questions…"

"Tina, you've always be curious about everything. It's one of the things I love about you so much," he said.

"I just wish I could remember more, you know? Then maybe I wouldn't have to traumatize my mom every time I have a question," she said.

"I remember," Eli said. Tina stopped and stared at him as if he had just spoken to her in Japanese.

"What?" she asked.

"I remember. Your parents were in the hospital for longer that you were. You stayed with us for a few days until your dad took you back home," he explained. "And I remember seeing you, and everyone had told me that you would look…different, but then you showed up with this bald head, and I didn't want you to feel like you weren't pretty anymore. Because you still were."

"Do you know what my very first memory is, Eli? I mean, the first one that makes any sense?" Tina asked. Eli shook his head. "I remember sleeping on this air mattress at your house, and waking up in the middle of the night. I was really scared, and I started crying, and a little blonde boy gave me his teddy bear and told me his Mommy could fix it." Both of them grinned at the thought.

"I think I remember that night," Eli said. "By the way, when can I have my bear back?" Tina scoffed and gave him a playful shove. "Never mind. Fourteen years later? I guess you can keep it."

"Gee, thanks," she said with a giggle.

"You know what else I remember about that night?" Eli said, suddenly turning serious again.

"What?" Tina asked.

"I remember promising my dad that I would always protect you," Eli said, pausing to stare into her eyes. "And I meant it, Tina. I will do whatever I have to to make sure that no one _ever_ hurts you like that again." Tina's eyes swelled with tears. How could this boy in front of her love her as much as he did. She wasn't sure how to respond to him, so instead, she leaned forward and kissed him gently, allowing him to feel her soft lips press on his.

"You know what else I remember about that night?" Tina asked as she lingered in Eli's embrace.

"What?" he asked.

"That was the first time that you told me you loved me," she answered.

"I still do," Eli whispered as he captured her lips again.

XxXxX

"Hey…" Fin said, getting up from the couch when Olivia appeared carrying the tray of mostly empty dishes.

"Don't," she warned. "I'm still angry with you." He gave her plenty of space as she carried the tray into the kitchen.

"But you ate something. That's good…" Fin said, trying desperately not to get on her bad side again. All he got in return from her was an icy stare. "Look, I really _am _sorry…about earlier…"

"Stop it," she said cutting him off. "You know, what you did was bad enough, but do you even remember what today is?" Oh crap, she was staring at him and asking one of those open-ended female questions that he had _no_ idea what the answer was. He wracked his brain. Anniversary? No, that wasn't until March. Birthday? Nope, January. Tina's birthday? No, that's in May. He must have been taking too long because she pushed past him and headed back to the bedroom.

"Forget it," she mumbled on her way. And then he remembered. October. They lost Taylor in May, John in March, and Jordan in October.

"Jordan," he said. Olivia paused at the threshold, placing her hand on the doorjam as her head tipped down. From her posture, Fin knew his wife was crying again. For all intents and purposes, Olivia had coped well with the loss of three of her children. Yes, she visited the cemetery every Wednesday to maintain the site, but that was normal among many parents who had lost children. But the anniversaries of the days her pregnancies ended always proved to be volatile for Olivia. She was fine yesterday, and she would be fine again tomorrow, but today…today she needed to grieve.

"Liv…" he began, trying to place his hands on her shoulders. The instant she felt him touch her, she pulled away.

"You know, maybe _I_ needed you today. Did you think about that? Huh? All I wanted was for you to fix the damn shower and spend the day with my family. But you decided 'to hell with what Liv wants,' and did whatever you damn well pleased, and I still didn't get my shower fixed!" she screamed, punctuating her statement by slamming the door again, emphasized by the sound of the lock clicking into place.

"Liv…come on, Liv. Don't do this. Please, Baby, I hate fighting with you like this," he begged through the door.

"Go to hell!" she replied.

"Ok…ok…can I at least get my pillow, since I'm obviously not sleeping with you tonight?" he asked. He got his answer a moment later when she opened the door, heaved his pillow and blanket at him, and barricaded herself in again.

This was going to be a long night.

_**Poor Fin. Then again, can't say I completely blame Liv on this one. At least no one resorted to violence!**_

_**Love it? Hate it? Review it!**_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Fin woke early the next morning with a stiff back. When Olivia bought the couch years ago, she had intentionally purchased one that was comfortable to sit or lounge on, but was constructed to make sleeping a rather painful experience for this very reason. It wasn't until after it was delivered and Fin spent his first night on it that he realized just what she had done.

Tina had come home ten minutes late the night before, but Fin saw the redness in her eyes that indicated she had been crying, so when she mumbled an apology and headed for her room, he didn't push the issue. As far as anyone else was concerned, she had come home on time. He knew she was blaming herself for the discord in the house, and he hated to see both of the women in his life hurting so badly. It was times like this when he wished he could just put a bullet in Joseph Colin's head and not suffer any of the consequences for it. He was about to head for the master bathroom when he remembered that Olivia had locked the door, so instead, he headed for the second bathroom Tina usually used. He took a quick shower and pulled on the same clothes he had worn yesterday after a sniff test revealed that they were still ok.

As he stood under the warm spray of the shower, the request his wife had made yesterday ran through his mind. He could have fixed her shower yesterday, but he hadn't wanted to bother with it, and it had turned out to be the one little thing that set her off after everything else she was dealing with. He felt like such an ass.

He would make it up to her. He _had_ to make it up to her. And that's why, at 6:00 on a Sunday morning, he was in a 24 hour hardware store trying to figure out exactly how he could accomplish that very thing.

No sooner had he closed the front door after returning home when a bleary-eyed Olivia appeared across the living room. He wanted to open his mouth and say something to her, but he wasn't sure if he was going to get sweet, loving Olivia or the Olivia who wanted to tear his arms off and beat him with the resulting bloody limbs.

"Hey…" she said, almost hesitantly. Her brow furrowed as she saw the jacket and the plastic bag in his hand. "Where did you run off to?" She seemed to be much calmer than she had been the night before, but the peace was shaky at best, and he didn't want to upset her again. Instead of approaching her directly, he slid the bag onto the kitchen counter, which would provide a buffer between them

"I picked up something for you," he said, turning to pull the coffee and filters out of the cabinet. While he fussed with the pot, Olivia crossed the living room to the counter and peaked inside the bag. He heard her gasp, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he could see her slowly pulling the plastic bag away from the box. He smiled as he pressed the button to brew the coffee.

"That strip screw was only gonna buy us another two months, tops, so I figured I'd just replace the whole damn shower head," he said.

"This is more than just a shower head, though," Olivia said, turning the box over in her hand.

"Yeah, check it out," he said, leaning over the counter and pointing to the box. "It has eight different settings ranging from 'gentle rain' to 'full body massage,' and you can switch the settings with the push of a button. And the handle is detachable so you don't have to twist into weird positions to rinse off." Olivia remembered the endless days of sore backs when she was carrying Tina, and how she probably would have cut her own arm off in exchange for something like this. The only thing that had eased the pain was a combination of the shower and a massage from Fin.

"I've wanted one of these since I was pregnant with Tina…" Olivia began.

"I know," he said. He poured a cup of coffee and added cream and sugar. "Come here," he gestured to Olivia and took the box from her hands. He led her to the couch, and when she sat, he handed her the cup of coffee in his hand. "You sit," he said, reaching for the remote. "Enjoy the news, and I'm just going to go install this." He handed Olivia the remote, and as he disappeared into the bedroom headed towards the master bath, she realized he had turned the channel to CNN, which usually drove him nuts. She sipped her coffee and pretended not to hear the expletives coming from the bathroom as he banged away at the shower. A smirk slid across her face as she realized she had him wrapped around her finger once again.

She kicked her feet up on the coffee table and leaned back into the sofa, relishing the feeling of being able to relax completely. She didn't particularly care for the news, so she picked up the remote – a rare privilege for her to be able to push the buttons – and flipped through the channels, ignoring Sunday morning televangelists and home shopping channels. Finally, she settled on a station that played classic TV shows from the '50s through the '70s having a _Mary Tyler Moore_ marathon.

_This will do just fine,_ she thought, knowing the program couldn't possibly contain anything more serious than a funeral for a clown. Another string of expletives came from the bathroom, and she couldn't suppress the slight chuckle this time. And yet, through the banging and the swearing, Tina remained sound asleep, as she most likely would until early afternoon. Olivia swore that her child had vampire-like tendencies in the sense that, if left to her own devices, she would go to bed around sunrise and sleep until nightfall.

Fin continued to tinker away until mid-morning. When he finished he stood in the doorway, clad only in jeans and work boots, his tattoo glistening, wiping his hands off on a towel. Liv swallowed, appreciating the incredible shape her husband was in even after so many years.

"So, um, the shower's ready, and I moved all of my junk outta there. So, if you want, I can show you how it works…" he said, almost hesitantly. Liv put the coffee mug on the table and followed him towards the bathroom.

"This isn't going to be one of those things that's so complicated, I need a degree to use it, is it?" she asked.

"No, a 9-week certificate course should suffice," he answered with a grin, and was rewarded with a chuckle from her.

"Ok, then let's go have a look at this new, modern shower head," she replied, following him into the master bathroom.

"Welcome to the shower of the century," Fin said, pulling back the curtain with dramatic flair. He pulled the shower head off the stand and started pointing out various buttons and levers, explaining each function. Olivia let him go through his explanation for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before she realized that she had forgotten how to even turn the thing on.

"You know, why don't you just come in with me and show me how it works?" she suggested, placing a hand on his chest gently. She flicked her eyes up to his, flashing him a seductive look. "Unless, of course…you don't want to…" Fin placed the shower head back on the stand and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"No, no, no…I have _always _thought that the best way to learn was to just get in and do it," he replied. Olivia peeled her pajamas from her body as Fin dropped his jeans and shorts. While she finished removing her clothing, he turned the water on and tested the temperature until it was exactly what she preferred.

"Ok, how do I shift it from tub to shower?" Olivia asked.

"Same way we always did before," he answered, flipping the lever on the tub. Water started pouring out of the shower head with all of the intensity of a spring shower. Fin held back the curtain and gestured to her.

"After you," he said. Olivia stepped into the shower, and he followed closely behind.

"Mmm…that's nice…" she said, closing her eyes and letting the warm water fall over her body. She could practically feel the tension flowing out of her muscles, oozing out her pores, and washing down the drain.

"You like that? That's the 'gentle rain' setting. It's supposed to be relaxing," he said.

"They didn't lie about that. I could fall asleep in here," she said.

"Well, if you like that, let's try this," he said, reaching around her and pressing a button the side of the shower head. The water switched from flowing out of the large pores that dotted the structure to smaller pores. The spray maintained its width, but the intensity ratcheted up a notch.

"Oh, I like that…that's going to feel amazing after a long day on my feet," she said. Fin snaked an arm around her waist, tracing lazy circles on her belly, slowly working his way up to her breast.

"It gets better," he said, nuzzling her neck. He turned the shower setting higher and lifted it off the stand, letting the water rove over her body, pulling the spray lower. Olivia moaned softly as he tweaked her right nipple and suckled gently on the pulse point on her neck. She twisted her body so that her breast was squarely cupped in his larger hand.

"I missed you last night," she moaned.

"I missed you too," he said through his kisses. He flipped the shower to the next setting and aimed the spray directly between her legs. When she realized what he was trying to do, she propped one foot on the edge of the tub, giving him better access. Her hand clawed at his thigh as she tried to steady herself. He tightened his grip on her body to prevent her from falling, as her hips thrust gently against the water.

"You like that?" he asked with a smirk. He kissed the spot behind her ear and ground his hardness into her ass.

"Oh God, that feels so good," she moaned. Her fingers clawed at whatever skin on him she could reach, intentionally leaving marks.

"It does, hm? Well, how about this?" he asked, turning it up to the next setting, letting the water pulse against her. He twisted his wrist slightly, shifting the spray so that it was directly over her clit. Olivia shrieked and would have fallen, had Fin not kept a firm grasp around her waist.

"Oh, God…I think I'm gonna…oh, God…" she moaned, pumping her hips against the water. The whole time, Fin held her tightly, even as her ass ground against his throbbing hard on. He wouldn't let her fall, and she knew it. But seeing her come unglued like this was giving him and idea of how to surprise her. That would have to wait for later, though.

"That's it, Baby Girl. Cum for me," he whispered in her ear. The instant the words left his lips, her body convulsed as her scream echoes off the tile walls. He vaguely heard something resembling his name as she reached her peak. As her shaking calmed into trembling, he started to move the spray back to the stand, but she grabbed the back of his hand and twisted his wrist so that it was where he had originally had it.

"Don't…don't move…" she panted.

"Oh, you like this, don't you…" he teased, flicking the shower to the highest setting and putting it closer to her body. Olivia shrieked again, sliding down his chest as her legs gave out in the aftershock of her orgasm. Fin tightened his grip on her waist, now fully supporting her weight as the tremors rippled through her again. Olivia's chest heaved as she panted and regained her footing.

"Mmmm…I want you…inside me…" she said through her panting. Fin set the shower head back on the stand and nudged her back. She moved her foot from the edge of the tub, planting it firmly as she bent forward slightly. She placed her hands on the cool tile to brace herself while presenting her backside to him.

"God, you're so hot right now…" he murmured, taking in the incredible view she was giving him.

"Please, Fin, I need you…" she practically begged, thrusting her ass out a little more. He gripped her hips and buried himself in her in one firm thrust. Olivia cried out at the intrusion, but her cries turned to moans as he started pumping hard in and out of her.

"Ohhh…right there, Baby," she moaned.

"Fuck, Liv…oh, God…I love when you let me fuck you like this," he said, reaching down to rub her clit as he continued his relentless pounding into her. Olivia couldn't have kept quiet if she wanted to. Too far gone for words, and endless stream of moaning and panting came from her throat as he hit her repeatedly in exactly the right place.

"Baby…" she managed to get out. He shifted his fingers slightly, changing up the pattern on her clit to exactly what he knew would bring her to her knees. Olivia grunted and banged her fist against the hard tile.

"Ooo…I like when you're like this…" Fin coaxed her. He was rewarded with a harder grunt. Apparently, words were once again too much for Olivia. She squeezed him with her inner muscles as he bent forward to graze her neck with his teeth. She grunted and arched her back, trying desperately to achieve the massive release that was bubbling just below the surface.

"I'm close, Baby. So close…" he whispered.

"Me…too…" she panted.

"Then cum for me…" he said, right next to her ear. The timbre of his voice and the sensation of his breath hitting in her ear were just enough for her to tumble over the edge. She slapped the wall again as he body convulsed harder than it had before. Her screams bounced off the walls in a continuous stream as she clamped down on him so hard he had to stop moving. He couldn't remember the last time she had climaxed this hard. She continued to cry out as the waves of pleasure seized her body. Exhausted and spent, she eased up on him, and he began thrusting softly into her again.

"Whoa…" he replied. She tried to respond, but it just came out as a strangled pant. "That was…so beautiful, Baby," he said, keeping his pace gently, knowing she would be sensitive from such an explosive orgasm. He slowly picked up his pace, getting the necessary friction. All Olivia could manage to do was pant as he reached his own orgasm. She felt his fluids coat her walls and vaguely remembered hearing him shout behind her. And then she felt emptiness as he pulled out and tried to help her back into a standing position.

"Well, that was one hell of a demonstration," Olivia said as her breathing recovered.

"Only the best for my Baby Girl," Fin said. Olivia rotated in his arms, kissing him tenderly.

"I love you…and I hate when we fight," she said.

"Me too," he replied, kissing her just as tenderly. Their kisses were soft and gentle, still filled with love, but void of heated passion. "So…are we ok?" he asked, rubbing her back gently. Olivia sighed.

"I _hate_ that you went behind my back, but at this point, there's nothing we can do to change it," she answered, reaching for a wash cloth and his strong, masculine scented body wash. She poured a dollop onto the cloth, worked it into a lather, and started to wash his chest. "But if he gets out this week…"

"If he does, we'll deal with that, but listen to me," he said, taking her upper arms in his and forcing her to look at him. She paused her scrubbing motion. "I _will_ protect you, Olivia. You and Tina both, ok?" Olivia's gaze flicked between both of his eyes as the intensity of his words penetrated her. She gave him a barely perceptible nod as she returned to her task of washing his chest.

"Ok…I just hope we have enough time to tuck her away safely in some quiet little college town before her gets out," she said. The washcloth drifted over his tattoo, and he could feel her fingers tracing the outline underneath the soapy cloth. "We've lost too many already…" she said.

"We'll keep her safe, somewhere upstate or even out of state. With a chastity belt to go with it," he said matter-of-factly. Olivia chuckled at the thought.

"How about somewhere in New England? There are some of great schools out in the country, and it's close enough that we could drive up on a weekend," she said, as her hands left the tattoo to move lower on his body.

"Maybe. The best schools are in the city, but if going to some quiet little college town in Hicksville will keep her safe, then I'll buy her a confederate flag bumper sticker and gun rack to fit in," he said. Olivia smiled.

"Not all little towns are that closed minded. Turn around so I can do your back," she instructed. "I think she's looking at schools in California, though," she said as she started on his shoulders. Fin tried to twist around to glare at her, but she held him still so she could continue her task.

"Baby, we can't visit her on weekends in California. Massachusetts, upstate, Connecticut…hell, even Jersey, but California?" he said defiantly.

"Well, Elliot mentioned that a scout from U.C.L.A. was checking Eli out for a basketball scholarship, and if he goes to Los Angeles, guess where Tina will want to be," she explained, knowing her daughter would follow two steps behind wherever Eli decided to go.

"My baby is _not_ going to going to California, let alone L.A.," he stated.

"Oh, I hate it too, but it's not entirely up to us," Olivia sympathized. She rinsed out the wash cloth and hung it on the rack. "Can you hand me my shampoo?" Instead of handing her the shampoo, he turned them so she was facing away from him, and he poured a dollop of shampoo into his hand and started working it into her scalp.

"No, but my baby isn't going to the land of liberal hippies and coming back with peace tattoos and refusing to eat anything that may have even remotely come from an animal," he told her.

"And where would you like to send her? N.Y.U.?" she asked. He shrugged as he continued to wash her brown locks.

"Wouldn't hurt. I went to Brooklyn College, and Mama was there every weekend. Of course, nearly every weekend, I was partying and taking advantage of freshmen whose parents let them move all the way across the country. In fact, I banged so many freshmen, it wasn't called getting pinned, it was called getting Finned," he bragged.

"Now why doesn't that surprise me," Olivia chided. He gently rinsed the shampoo from her hair, taking care to avoid getting soap in her eyes.

"Because you know your man's got skill, and I'm completely irresistible. Plus, barely legal girls that far away from home, and the point guard on the basketball team is interested in you? I couldn't define the word 'no' until my junior year. And that's exactly what's gonna happen to Tina if we let her move that far away," he explained.

"And if Tina gets into trouble, she knows to come talk to us. I won't let her go through what I did," Olivia replied. Fin grabbed for her conditioner and repeated his earlier actions.

"Ooo…now I gotta hear this…" he said, working the silky conditioner through her hair.

"I never told you about that?" Olivia asked.

"Nope," he answered.

"Jimmy Donovan…I met him at a frat party. Washboard stomach, chiseled jaw, guns of steel. I swear that man had magic fingers…and a golden tongue," Olivia mused. "I couldn't believe, of all the girls there, he was hitting on _me_ that night. I had a few drinks, and I let him sweet talk me right into bed without a condom. I mean, it was just one time, right?"

"…ok, this is getting a lot less hot," Fin said as he rinsed out her hair. He pulled her loofah off the hook and worked some of her vanilla body wash into it.

"Anyway, the next month I was late," she said, as he started to rub her back. "And panicked, and scared, and there was no _way_ I could talk to my mother about it." Fin paused, following the same logic Olivia had used years ago. He turned around, and forced her to look at his widened eyes.

"Olivia, is there something or someone out there I should know about?" he asked. She placed a hand gently on his chest to reassure him.

"Nope. I took a pregnancy test, and it was negative. The next morning, I got my period," she explained. Fin let out a deep breath before he started washing her chest.

"That's…that's good then. But see? You're smart, and you let yourself get taken advantage of by some punk. I _was_ that punk, and I already know Tina. She'd make an easy target for players," he said.

"Tina could run circles around me in the intelligence department, Honey. And let's say something like that actually _did_ happen. Do you know what she would do? She'd pull out her cell phone, which we will continue to pay for, and she would call dear old Mom," Olivia explained.

"And we can prevent all of this if she just stays in New York," Fin said, running the loofah over her stomach. Olivia laughed.

"What are you going to do? Put a tail on her for the next four years?" she asked.

"And intelligence I'm not getting into, but street smarts? She's sheltered, good looking, and inherited far more from you than I wanted. She's the perfect target for players, and trust me, I was a player who played the game _good._ And no, I'm not gonna put a tail on her, but it'll be easier to go beat down the guys who try something around here than the ones out in California," he said.

"Well, like you said yesterday, she's old enough to decide what she wants," Olivia quipped. The light-hearted mood grew serious with that statement.

"How long are you gonna hold that over my head?" he asked. Olivia shrugged.

"I haven't decided," she said. Fin opened his mouth to protest, but wisely decided against it.

"Gotcha," he replied, reaching down between her legs. Olivia winced as he made contact.

"Ooo…careful there," she cautioned.

"Sorry, Baby," he said, moving away from that area as he kissed the top of her head. "So does Tina have any idea what she wants to major in?"

"English," Olivia answered immediately. "One hundred percent, without a doubt, can _not_ change her mind, English." Fin gently turned Olivia and started washing her back.

"So, she wants to be a cashier at Starbucks. Wonderful," he said. Olivia chuckled.

"No, since when have you ever known Tina not to have a plan?" Olivia asked. "She wants to be a writer, but her back up plan is to go to graduate school, get her doctorate, and be a college professor. Looks like she takes after Grandma Benson." Fin paused as he considered what Olivia had just told him. Actually, it was a pretty good plan that would lead her to a respectable job.

"Dr. Tutuola…you know, I like the sound of that," he said.

"Yeah. Me too," she answered. Once the last of the soap was rinsed from her body, she shut the water off and they padded into the bedroom wrapped in towels. Each selected casual clothes to wear, appropriate for a weekend day of errand running.

"Hey, Liv," Fin said, raising his voice to be heard over her blow dryer.

"Hm?" she replied absently. He leaned against the doorframe as he was still considering his daughter's future.

"We could be the parents of the next Stephen King," he said. Olivia nodded.

"She's been scribbling away in notebooks for as long as she's known how to write, and the tiny peek she's given me has been pretty good," Olivia told him.

"You've…read some of her work?" he asked. Tina had never shown him anything she's written.

"Just a little. But she and I have always had this…bond, and the stuff she's shown me is mostly about falling in love and Eli. When she brings up that kind of stuff around you, you don't exactly have the best listening skills on that topic," Olivia explained. Fin bit his fist. On the one hand, he wanted to see what his daughter had created, but on the other hand, Olivia was right. The topic of romantic love when it came to Tina was something he would rather stay as far away from as possible.

"Hey, Liv? Do you think…I mean could you…" he stammered.

"Spit it out, Fin," she said, continuing to work her hair into the silky mane he absolutely loved.

"You think you could convince her to show me something?" he asked. Olivia hesitated.

"I'll see what I can do, but," she said, setting down her brush and hair dryer and turning to face him. "you have to _promise_ me that you won't do or say anything to discourage her. This is what she loves, and I will _not _let you break her heart."

"Ok, ok, I promise. I just want to know her as well as you do," he confessed. Olivia smiled and patted his chest. She heard rustling in the kitchen and headed out of the bedroom, spotting Tina rifling through the cabinets.

"Morning, Tina. You sleep ok?" Fin asked.

"Uh huh. Why is that absolutely no food in this house?" Tina whined, pulling boxes out of the cabinets only to replace them in frustration.

"Sit down. I'll make you something," Olivia said, gently steering Tina out of the kitchen.

"What was with all the noise this morning?" Tina asked, sliding onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter.

"Oh, um, your father was fixing the shower in our bathroom this morning. Sorry if he woke you," Olivia said, as she cracked eggs into one frying pan and added bacon to a second. Fin took her cue and started loading bread into the toaster.

"So, why were you screaming?" Tina asked.

"Um…" Liv stammered, blushing over the pans. She was instantly glad that her back was to Tina so she couldn't see just how red her face was.

"She was trying to help, and she burned her arm on the hot water pipe. She's fine," Fin filled in. Tina furrowed her brow, scrutinizing Olivia's appearance.

"She doesn't look like…oh my God! You guys…in the shower…ew!" Tina exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, grow up a little. Hell, you were conceived in the shower. Why do you think you're so good at swimming?" he teased.

"Ohmigod! Mom! Make him stop!" Tina begged futilily.

"Actually, I could have sworn it was that hot tub in Boston," she commented.

"Ugh. I'm not hungry anymore," Tina said, sliding off the stool and heading for the sanctuary of her room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Get back here. We're just messing with you," he said.

"And the sooner you eat, the sooner I can take _somebody_ shopping for a Homecoming dress," Olivia added. Tina perked up.

"Actually…" Tina began. "All I really need is your credit card. Lauren, Caitlin, Madison, and I were all planning to go together." Both Fin and Olivia had visions of a maxed out credit card and hours of overtime that would be required to pay it off.

"Nope," Olivia answered. "Three choices. No dress at all, go with Dad, or go with me. Now, considering how mortified you would be to wear the same dress twice, and the fact that Dad won't be happy with anything showing more skin than a nun's habit, I think I'm your best option." Tina rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she answered glumly. Olivia dished out the food and carried the plates of bacon, eggs, and toast to the table.

"Besides, we still have to talk about yesterday. Things got a little tense between…everyone," Fin said.

"What's left to talk about? You two have _obviously_ made up," Tina scoffed.

"Sit down, and drop the attitude," Olivia warned.

"Sorry," Tina mumbled as she took her usual place next to Olivia and across from Fin.

"To answer your question," Fin began as he sat down. Olivia pulled juice, butter, and jam from the refrigerator and set them in the middle of the table before she took her own seat. "I'm sorry for yelling at you last night. I was on edge, and you didn't deserve it. Also, do you…do you have any more questions or anything you wanna talk about regarding this whole thing?" Tina crossed her arms, eyeing both of them skeptically. She opened her mouth to speak, and then hesitated for a minute.

"No, I don't want to screw everything up again," Tina answered.

"No, Tina, you won't screw anything up, ok? No more fighting, no more yelling. I promise," Fin said. Tina's eyes shifted to Olivia.

"…Mom?" she asked.

"Go ahead. It's ok, I promise," Olivia said, willing herself to maintain her composure for Tina's sake.

"Ok, so, we were kidnapped, right?" Tina asked.

"Yeah," Fin confirmed.

"How? I mean, both of you guys are cops. It just doesn't make any sense," Tina asked.

"Well, Adam, the one who died, broke in through the fire escape, which was off our bedroom in the old apartment. I wasn't working at the time, so my weapon was in the safe, where it always was when you were running around, and when he broke in, he was between the safe and me," Olivia explained. She took a deep breath before she continued. "He…he grabbed me and I was about to fight back, but the next thing I knew, Joseph was holding you and pointing a gun at your head. As long as you were in that much danger, I couldn't risk your life."

"Where was Dad, though?" Tina asked. "I mean, two of you, two of them, those are decent odds." Olivia and Fin exchanged a glance, and Fin gave a sad chuckle.

"Well, your mom was pregnant back then, and when she was, she always craved the weirdest things. That day, she was absolutely dying for French fries from the deli on the corner and hot fudge, so I was late coming home. When I got to the apartment, they…they had both you and your mother bound in the master bedroom. It was the same thing, Tina. There was a weapon on you, and I couldn't let them hurt you."

"Oh," Tina said softly. Her head dropped, and she started pushing her food around with her fork.

"Tina, what's wrong?" Fin asked. Olivia reached over to squeeze her daughter's hand reassuringly.

"Don't blame yourself, Honey. If they had threatened your father with my life or vice versa instead of yours, either one of us would have died to make sure your survived."

"Exactly. Protecting you and making sure _you_ survived was all that mattered. To both of us," Fin chimed in.

"So, in a way, you're the reason we all made it out alive," Olivia said gently.

"Dad, you would have let them kill Mom if it meant saving me?" Tina asked. Fin and Olivia exchanged a glance, remembering their first night in the basement, listening to Tina struggle to breathe. Olivia's greatest fear had been that Adam or Joseph would force Fin to choose between them, and she knew he wouldn't have been able to do it.

"That's…um…" He sighed as he tried to find the words. He reached over and grabbed Olivia's hand, stroking her fingers with his thumb, paying special attention to the gold band set on her third finger. "Yeah. I promised your mother that…that if it came to it, I would save you over her…" Tina glanced back at Olivia.

"…Mom?" she asked as if she was seeking confirmation.

"It never came to that, but it's true. I made him promise to choose you over me," Olivia confirmed. "You are my _daughter_. Your life was worth more than absolutely _anything, _and yes, I would have made that choice. Your father and I have always put you first, and to lose you to save him…neither one of us could live with that."

"But, you were pregnant. Dad, you _really_ would have let them kill your pregnant wife?" Tina asked.

"I…" he began, stopping to closes his eyes and take a deep breath before continuing. He still hadn't let go of Olivia's hand, and felt her squeeze it reassuringly. "Yes, she was pregnant, and I loved _all_ of my children from the minute I found out they had been conceived. But…but you'd already started your life. You dying so one of us could live was never an option, even if she was pregnant."

"I..." Tina began. "Never mind."

"No, Tina, what is it?" Liv asked.

"I…I remember…" Tina started, as her eyes flicked back in forth, searching her for enough pieces to pull a memory together.

"What, Sweetie? What do you remember?" Liv asked.

"I remember you…screaming," Tina finally answered. Olivia swallowed hard.

"Go on…" she prodded. Tina shook her head in frustration.

"It's all…fuzzy," she said.

"That's because your father shielded you as much as he could. You heard just about everything that happened, but he made sure you never saw much," Olivia explained.

"I was in the room, wasn't I…when he…when you were…" Tina stuttered.

"For most of it, yes," Olivia answered. Tina set her fork carefully on her plate.

"Can I be excused?" she asked. Olivia nodded, noting how Tina absolutely refused to make eye contact with either her or Fin. Tina stood up and bolted for her room as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Liv, maybe we should…" Fin began.

"Sh!" Liv said, holding up a finger. She turned an ear towards Tina's closed door and her eyes flicked nervously in her head as she listened. Finally, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, set it on the table, and headed for Tina's room.

"What's wrong?" Fin asked.

"She's crying," Liv called over her shoulder, in full Mom-mode, ready to take on whatever demon was scaring her baby girl.


End file.
